MEMORIALS 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW 


JOSEPH    B.    FELT 


Nee  sitri  sed  toti  gen:tum  se  credere  mundo — LTJCAN. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED    BY    S.    K.    WHIFFLE    &    CO., 

100  Washington  Street. 

1852. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Parentage— Childhood— Entrance  into  College— Events  while 
there  —  Becomes  Secretary  to  President  Adams  —  Corres- 
pondence. 5 

CHAPTER   II. 

Politics  —  Separation  from  the  Union — Navy — Southey  — 
Count  Rumford  — Insurrection  in  Pennsylvania  —  Purposes 
of  France — Illuminati — Belsham — Community  of  Property 
— Penelon.  39 

CHAPTER   III. 

Mount  Vernon— Equality  of  Talents— Nullification  of  French 
Treaties  celebrated  —  Mrs.  Morton's  Works  —  De  la  Harpe 
abjures  Illuminatism  —  Yellow  Fever  in  Philadelphia  and 
New  York — Assassination  of  the  French  Ministers — Slavery 
—Right  of  Search.  58 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Restoration  of  the  Jesuits  —  Envoys  to  France  —  Death  of 
Washington  —  Disposition  of  his  Estate — Portfolio  —  Bona- 
parte—Cause of  the  French  Revolution— Statue  for  Wash- 
ington—  Mungo  Park  —  Reasons  for  an  Army  —  City  of 
Washington.  76 

CHAPTER   V. 

Mrs.  Washington  —  French  Success  —  Eulogies  on  Washing- 
ton —  Bankrupt  Law  —  Davila  —  Regent  of  Portugal  — 
Kotzebue — Duel — Army — Dr.  Parr — Sir  William  Jones — 
Canvass  for  Votes — Congratulation  of  the  First  Congress  in 
"  the  Federal  City."  98 


iv  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Changes  in  Europe  —  French  Affairs  —  Anonymous  Letter- 
Dying  Counsel — The  Federal  City  as  it  was — Fears  of  the 
Constitution— Burr  and  Jefferson— Parental  Advice— Dis- 
trict of  Columbia— Crisis— Portfolio— Weld's  History.  118 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Neutral  Rights — Admiralty  Law — Literary  Journals — Polit- 
ical Parties — Jefferson  and  Burr — Duel — Popularity  Fickle 
— Study  of  Law  —  Introductory  Letters — Floridas  —  Presi- 
dent Adams's  Remarks— Yellow  Fever— College.  134 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Samuel  Adams  against  Paine's  "Age  of  Reason" — Naviga- 
tion of  the  Mississippi— Marshall's  Washington — American 
Literature— Austin's  Letters— Invasion  of  England— History 
of  Foreign  Affairs  —  Proposal  of  Bonaparte  to  Louis  XVI., 
that  he  abdicate  —  Gillie's  Remark  on  President  Adams  — 
Irish  Rebellion  — Abbe  de  Lille  —  Southey  —  Coleridge  — 
French  Preparations — Invitation.  .  163 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Liverpool  Athenaeum  —  Royal  Standard — Congressional  Pro- 
priety— Louisiana — Admission  to  the  Bar — Use  of  Tobacco 
— Hamilton's  Death — Fugitive  Slave — Political  Operation — 
An  Account  of  Hannah  Adams,  by  herself — Anthology  So- 
ciety— Dr,  Waterhouse's  Botanical  Lectures — Tunisian  Em- 
bassy—Gun Boats.  181 

CHAPTER   X. 

Review — Anthology — Closed  doors  of  Congress — Thermomet- 
rical  —  Female  Asylum  —  Catastrophe  of  Leyden  —  Reading 
Room  in  Boston — Guinea  Ships — Ballston  Water — Fear  of 
Political  Opponents — Rees's  Cyclopedia — Rhetorical  Lectures 
— London— British  Museum — Choice  of  a  Wife — Gleaner — 
Select  Speeches — Progress  of  the  Reading  Room — Order  for 
the  purchase  of  Books  in  Europe — History  of  New  England.  208 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Regulations  —  Meteors  —  Memento  of  Friendship — Condolence 
— Burr's  Conspiracy  —  Webster's  Dictionary  —  Griesbach  — 
Political  Suspicion  —  Fouche  —  Catholics  of  Italy  —  Encour- 
aging Prospect  of  the  Athenaeum— Burr's  Trial — Currency — 
Criticism — Decrees — Division  of  the  Union — Factions.  234 


CONTENTS.  v 

CHAPTER   XII. 

Episcopacy — Liverpool  Athenaeum — Pomare,  King  of  Otaheiti 
— Embargo— French  in  Spain— Canandaigua— Toasts— Tal- 
leyrand's Memoir  —  Law  Books  —  French  and  Italian  Vol- 
umes— Reading- Room  in  New  York — Spirit  of  '76 — History 
of  Printing  —  Kendall's  Travels  —  Redwood  Library  —  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States— Midnight  Study.  255 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

Resources  of  the  United  States  —  Ogilvie's  Orations  —  Stimu- 
lus— Portrait — Lewis  and  Clarke's  Expedition — Cheeves — 
— Slave  —European  Books — Missions  —  Introductions  —  Me- 
ridian—  Mathematical  Prodigy — Chronic  Complaints  —  Ma- 
ternal Advice  —  Monument  for  Washington  —  History  of 
Georgia  —  Cunningham  Correspondence  —  Libeda  —  Natural 
History  —  Seal  —  Death  of  Buckminster  —  Remarks  on  S. 
Adams,  J.  Otis  and  J.  Hancock  —  Mitchell's  Account  of 
Fishes — Lights  for  the  Enemy — Athenaeums  in  Philadelphia 
and  Portland.  279 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Governesses— American  Speeches— Linnsean  Society— Pitkin's 
Statistics— Cyclopaedia — North  American  Review — Coins — 
Institution  for  Deaf  and  Dumb  —  Curiosities  —  Prejudice 
against  the  North— Lexington,  Ky. — Belsham— Expedition 
for  the  Niger — Greek  Newspaper  —  Artiguenave  —  Minutes 
of  John  Adams's  Life — Invitation  of  Campbell — Imputations 
of  Plagiarism — Perkins's  Tractors — "Webster's  Publications — 
^Preference  to  Foreign  Books — Sea  Serpent — Portrait  by  Stu- 
art—Beneficence— Close  of  Life.  303 


MEMORIALS 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Parentage  —  Childhood  —  Entrance  into  College  —  Events  while 
there  —  Becomes  Secretary  to  President  Adams  —  Correspond- 
ence. 

PROSPEROUS  life  is  the  great  attraction  of  earth. 
It  is  fair  to  the  eye  and  pleasant  to  the  soul.  But, 
like  all  temporal  loans  from  the  bounty  of  Provi- 
dence, it  has  an  end.  Whether  it  close  amid  clouds 
or  the  full-orbed  light  of  faith,  is  a  problem,  which 
the  experience  of  every  living  person  must  soon 
solve.  However  strong  and  dear  the  ties  between 
relatives  and  friends,  they  have  never  ceased  to  be 
severed  in  the  progress  of  time.  Whatever  be  the 
character  or  condition  of  our  whole  race,  they  all 
"await  alike  the  inevitable  hour."  Many  of  those, 
with  whom  we  have  been  thus  united,  have  passed 
away  to  the  scenes  of  immortality.  We  often  think 
on  them  in  their  disembodied  state.  We  wish,  that, 
ere  we  close  our  probationary  course,  something 
more  permanent  than  the  fading  traditions  of 
2 


1 


MEMORIALS    OF 


memory  alone,  may  survive  them  and  preserve  their 
names  from  oblivion. 

This  inclination  is  an  inseparable  element  of  our 
nature.  Like  every  other  of  our  endowments,  it 
may  be  properly  indulged.  When  so  employed,  it 
is  often  the  spring  of  recollections,  sympathies  and 
applications,  which,  however  shaded  with  sadness, 
afford  us  refined  and  improving  satisfaction. 

Such  a  bias  exhibits  itself  in  various  forms  and 
directions.  Hence,  the  simple  stone,  the  "  storied 
urn,"  the  "animated  bust,"  and  ihe  trophied  tomb 
have  long  been  lettered  with  annals  of  the  dead. 
Hence  the  publication  of  literary  remains,  left  by 
the  departed.  An  adventure  of  this  kind,  meets 
with  diversity  of  reception.  Strangers  to  the  de- 
ceased, for  whom  it  is  made,  are  not  expected  to 
regard  it  with  any  special  interest.  Others,  differ- 
ently related  to  them,  welcome  it,  as  a  benevolent 
memento,  and  give  it  a  share  of  their  perusal, 
thoughts  and  conversation.  Thus  likely  to  fare  in 
a  community  of  circles,  each  having  its  centre  of 
attachment,  and  its  divergences  of  preference,  the 
subsequent  offering  is  presented.  May  they  who 
meet  the  work  with  favor,  derive  from  its  pages, 
impressions  and  influences,  both  pleasant  and  bene- 
ficial. 

The  parents  of  WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW  were  John 
and  Elizabeth  Shaw.  His  father  was  son  of  the 
Rev.  John  Shaw,  of  Bridgewater,  and  was  settled 
in  the  ministry  at  Haverhill,  Massachusetts  ;  pos- 
sessed good  intellectual  powers,  and  was  eminent 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  7 

for  his  classical  taste  and  acquirements  ;  for  his  be- 
neficence and  piety.  His  mother  was  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  William  Smith,  of  Weymouth ;  was  de- 
servedly ranked  among  the  superior  of  her  sex,  for 
talents,  attainments,  usefulness  and  character. 

Blessed  with  such  parents,  he  was  born  August 
12,  1778.  Trained  up  to  youth  under  their  care 
and  tuition,  he  was  amid  constant  induences,  which 
deeply  impressed  his  mind  with  noble  views  and 
purposes.  He  very  early  discovered  a  strong  attach- 
ment for  books.  Able  to  read  before  he  could  dis- 
tinctly articulate  the  name  of  them,  nothing  afforded 
him  greater  pleasure,  than  some  little  volume,  suited 
to  his  comprehension.  Even  while  engaged  in  the 
labor  of  learning  to  spell,  he  would  often  repeat  the 
words,  "  My  book  and  heart  shall  never  part,"  and 
his  countenance  denoted  the  deep  sincerity  of  his 
speech. 

Of  the  many  perils,  seen  and  unseen,  from  which 
the  hand  of  Providence  delivers  childhood,  was 
one  which  liked  to  have  suddenly  terminated  his 
life,  August,  1786.  Skipping  across  the  yard  of 
his  father's  residence,  and  fearless  of  danger,  his 
neck  is  caught  in  a  low  clothes-line,  and  it  nearly 
suffocates  him.  His  wind-pipe  is  much  injured, 
his  spine  greatly  wrenched,  and  he  seems  almost 
lifeless  for  twelve  hours.  The  occurence  brings  a 
cloud  over  the  whole  family  circle,  but  a  minute  or 
or  two  after  he  left  them  amid  the  light  of  joy  and 
hope. 

Not  naturally  robust,  and  constitutionally  subject 
to  rheumatic  attacks,  he  was  occasionally  called,  in 


8  MEMORIALS    OF 

his  boyhood,  to  lay  aside  his  studies  and  endure  the 
trials  of  sickness. 

Relative  to  this  and  his  early  bias  for  historical 
incidents,  his  mother  writes  to  her  sister  Cranch, 
at  Quincy,  February  6,  1787,  "  William  has  had 
such  a  cough,  I  kept  him  in  the  house  eight  or  ten 
days,  but  that  he  dislikes  very  much.  He  sits  by 
me  and  says,  '  Please  give  my  love  to  aunt  and 
cousin,  and  tell  them  we  have  not  caught  Capt. 
Shays  L  yet.7  " 

Among  the  early  counsels  of  relatives,  who  cared 
for  his  highest  welfare,  were  those  of  his  grand- 
father Shaw.2  This  divine  writes  him  a  letter,  Au- 
gust 4,  1790,  which  he  kept  as  a  precious  remem- 
brancer. As  one  cleared  mostly  from  worldly  influ- 
ences, and  sustained  chiefly  by  religious  consolations, 
he  impresses  on  his  grandson  the  importance  of  ac- 
quiring thorough  knowledge,  of  associating  with 
none  but  virtuous  companions  in  college,  of  sub- 
mission to  the  regulations  of  its  officers,  of  sustain- 
ing a  Christian  character,  and  of  daily  prayer  for 
influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  the  best  aid  to 
successful  study  and  the  performance  of  every  obli- 
gation. 

In  addition  to  his  ill  health,  one  of  his  ancles  is 
greatly  injured.  This  occurs  April,  1791,  while  he 
is  playing  in  his  father's  yard,  by  catching  his  foot 
in  the  cavity  where  a  post  had  stood.  It  gives  him 
a  lameness,  which  accompanied  him  through  life. 


1  He  headed  the  insurgents  of  Massachusetts  at  this  time. 

2  He  died  April  29,  1791,  at.  82. 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  9 

In  another  letter  of  Mrs.  Shaw  to  her  sister  Mary, 
November  15,  1791,  we  have  the  ensuing  anecdote. 
"  William  was  very  inquisitive  to  know,  if  I  were 
not.  going  to  make  pies  for  thanksgiving.  I  replied, 
How  can  I,  since  your  poor  leg  is  so  painful?  He 
answered,  «  Why,  mamma,  should  not  I  be  thankful, 
that  they  are  not  both  so.'  It  was  a  lesson  to  me, 
and  I  said,  I  hoped  he  was  sincere." 

While  thus  considerate  of  affliction,  he  is  referred 
to  in  the  subsequent  extracts  from  the  same  corres- 
pondence, February  5,  1792.  "  I  despair  of  his 
leg's  ever  being  in  proper  shape.  I  hope  some  way 
may  be  found  out  for  him  to  be  useful  in  life.  I 
pray  that  he  may  be  good,  and  then  I  shall  be  satis- 
fied, and  think  all  my  care  and  anxiety  amply  recom- 
pensed." These  are  sentiments,  which  only  the 
best  of  mothers  can  realize.  Piety  and  usefulness, 
in  this  erring  world,  are  among  the  highest  essen- 
tials of  character,  which  any  parents  can  wish  for 
their  children. 

March  29.  "  Next  week  completes  a  year,  since 
my  son  met  with  his  misfortune.  I  have  bathed 
his  foot  once  or  twice  a  day  ever  since.  He  has 
had  a  very  painful  winter ;  "  been  "  stiff  in  his 
neck,  and  all  his  limbs  ;  so  it  was  with  great  diffi- 
culty that  he  could  move  out  of  his  chair.  His 
whole  system  is  debilitated.  He  thinks  he  should 
be  a  most  unhappy  creature,  if  it  were  not  for  his 
eyes.  He  takes  pleasure  in  studying,  and  we  have 
been  surprised  to  see  what  a  lesson  he  would  get, 
though  starting  with  pain,  as  if  a  needle  was  run- 
ning through  him  every  few  minutes.  I  once  had 
2* 


10  MEMORIALS    OF 

a  prospect  of  thinking  he  would  be  a  comfort  to  us 
all,  more  especially  to  his  sisters  ;  but  now,  poor 
child,  he  must  want  the  means  of  affording  that 
protection,  which  I  know  his  affectionate  heart 
would  be  glad  to  afford.  Perhaps  no  one  ever  had 
a  greater  dread  of  being  useless,  or  seeing  a  person 
so,  than  myself;  yet  this  is,  I  fear,  to  be  the  condi- 
tion, in  a  great  measure,  of  my  only  son,  my  first- 
born. He  is  really,  my  sister,  a  fine,  dutiful 
child." 

May  27.  "  I  desire  to  be  thankful  that  my  dear 
William  Smith's  health  is  better.  I  commit  him  to 
your  sisterly  care  for  a  time.  I  have  charged  him 
to  give  you  as  little  trouble  as  possible.  I  know 
he  will  want  to  walk  and  drive  about  as  fast  as  if 
nothing  was  the  matter.  I  wish  you  would  learn 
him  to  move  with  moderation.  I  dare  say  he  will 
be  obedient  to  you  in  every  thing.  He  has  taken 
a  great  deal  of  mercury.  I  hope  he  will  never  be 
obliged  to  take  more.  I  have  given  it  to  him  with 
fear  and  trembling."  After  a  delightful  visit  of  sev- 
eral weeks,  in  which  his  health  was  much  improved, 
he  returned  to  the  home  of  intelligence,  love  and 
harmony. 

1793,  May  3.  "  Poor  William  longs  for  the  salt 
water  air  and  the  agreeable  rides  he  had  at  Q,uincy. 
Poor,  dear,  limping  boy,  how  many  inconveniences 
must  thou  suffer!  Faith,  hope  and  grace  kindly 
step  in  to  my  aid,  repel  the  rising  sigh  and  wipe  the 
falling  tear." 

With  all  the  emotions  of  hope  and  fear,  which 
fill  the  hearts  of  worthy  parents,  when  their  chil- 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  ]1 

dren  are  on  the  point  of  important  changes  in  their 
course  of  preparation  for  adult  life,  the  writer  ex- 
presses her  thoughts. 

1794,  July  13.  '•'  This  will  be  a  week  of  anxiety 
both  to  Mr.  Shaw  x  and  to  me.  For  though  scholars 
may  be  ever  so  well  fitted,  yet  they  may  be  so  in- 
timidated at  the  time  of  examination,  as  to  make 
but  a  poor  figure.  Mr.  Shaw's  fears  are  not  for 
William  Smith  or  William  Austin,  so  much  as  for 
cousin  John.  They  are  now  going  through  this 
die,  the  first  they  ever  cast  for  themselves.  May 
they  succeed,  and  Heaven  guard  and  preserve 
them."  Speaking  of  a  room-mate,  his  mother  pro- 
ceeds, "  William  would  be  very  unhappy,  if  he  did 
not  live  with  one  of  a  kind,  studious  temper.  I 
know  his  future  conduct  and  happiness  depend 
much  upon  what  many  might  think  of  little  impor- 
tance ;  but  I  view  every  thing  of  consequence, 
which  may  influence  and  give  a  stamp  to  his  future 
life,  and  what  can  do  it  more  than  an  intimate  com- 
panion." 

Having  entered  Cambridge  college,  he,  of  course, 
had  the  accustomed  care  and  anxiety  of  obtaining 
a  room  there,  which  would  be  most  free  from  the  an- 
noyances, which  a  freshman  is  too  apt  to  receive  from 
disorderly  students,  and  most  suited  for  his  comfort 
in  study.  It  seems,  that,  on  this  occasion,  he  ap- 
plied to  a  discreet  young  man,  Jonathan  French,2 
of  Andover.  This  person  writes  to  him,  July  25, 

1  He  not  only  fitted  his  son  for  college,  but  others,  some  of  whom 
have  been  eminent. 

2  Now  in  the  ministry  at  Northampton,  N.  H. 


12  MEMORIALS    OF 

1794,  "I  saw  Mr.  Stone,1  the  tutor,  on  Wednesday, 
who  informed  me  you  had  obtained  a  room,  but  that 
as  there  were  but  seven  to  be  disposed  of,  the  gov- 
ernment, in  their  wisdom,  had  thought  fit  to  put 
four  in  a  room."  However  necessary  this  provision 
was,  it  would  be  deemed  too  close  a  stowage  for 
sprigs  of  literature  in  our  day,  when  their  collegiate 
accommodations  are  so  much  improved.  While 
engaged  in  the  first  quarter's  studies  of  his  class, 
wherein  proper  ambition  begins  to  experience  the 
test  of  its  talents  and  the  hopes  and  fears  as  to  its 
success, — he  is  often  the  subject  of  parental  thought, 
conversation  and  prayer. 

A  letter  from  his  mother,  September  1,  furnishes 
the  following  extracts.  "  I  need  not  recommend  to 
you  the  necessity  of  diligence  and  application  to 
your  studies.  I  think  you  know  the  importance  of 
it,  especially  for  you,  who  are  to  provide  a  main- 
tenance for  yourself  in  the  professional  way.  No 
one  ever  made  a  figure  in  life  without  it ;  the 
riches,  the  beauties  of  science  are  deep,  and  must 
be  sought  for.  You  used  to  love  to  come  and  sit 
with  me  after  study,  and  now  I  hope  you  will  em- 
ploy some  of  your  moments  in  writing  to  your 
mother  with  confidence  in  her  affection  for  you. 
Write  a  little  every  day.  It  will  be  very  pleasing 
to  me,  and  then  you  can  have  something  always 
ready  to  send  me.  It  will  teach  you  to  methodize 
and  collect  your  thoughts."  Precious  is  such  advice 
to  absent  children.  It  is  impressed  on  their  minds, 

1  Rev.  Micah  Stone,  was  settled  at  Brookfield,  where  he  still  re- 
sides. 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  13 

is  consolation  for  their  trials  of  distance  from  home, 
is  pleasant  to  their  recollections,  encouraging  to 
their  best  efforts  and  generally  influential  for  good, 
on  their  subsequent  motives  and  life.  The  duty, 
which  prompts,  and  the  success  which  often  follows 
it,  may  well  secure  its  continuance. 

The  same  parent  continues  her  wise  counsel.  In 
setting  before  him  the  example  of  a  worthy  person,1 
she  made  the  subsequent  remark.  "  It  is  worth  the 
while  to  be  kind,  wise  and  virtuous,  if  it  were  only 
to  receive  the  sincere  tribute  offered  to  real  merit. 
A  good  man  has  always  higher  and  nobler  motives 
for  action.  The  esteem  of  the  world  must  be  only 
a  secondary  motive,  and  allowed  its  proper  influence 
upon  our  conduct."  This  is  sound  advice,  sanc- 
tioned by  the  experience  of  its  disciples,  and  com- 
manded by  the  teachings  of  inspiration.  It  cannot 
be  too  much  inculcated  on  the  young,  who  are  to 
find,  that  no  other  basis  of  character  can  render  them 
permanently  beneficial  to  community,  and  afford 
them  inward  peace  amid  the  smiles  and  frowns  of 
life. 

Soon,  the  subject  of  this  memoir  is  called  to 
mourn  the  sudden  decease  of  his  father,  which  oc- 
curred September  29,  to  whom  his  affections  cleaved 
with  much  strength.  To  one  of  his  deep,  filial 
sensibility,  such  a  trial  must  have  been  severe. 
Deprived  of  his  principal  dependence,  in  the  removal 
of  a  parent,  whose  generous  sympathies  for  the 

1  William  Crunch,  who  had  practiced  law  in  Haverhill.  He 
boarded  in  his  uncle  Shaw's  family,  and  was  about  to  establish 
himself  at  the  South.  He  soon  went  thither,  and  has  long  been 
known  as  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 


14  MEMORIALS    OF 

needy,  left  little  of  his  salary  to  meet  the  expendi- 
ture of  the  son's  education,  he  could  not  but  have 
had  his  fears  redoubled  lest  his  literary  course  must 
be  forsaken.  Dark,  at  times,  is  the  prospect  of  all 
students,  who  are  apparently  left  with  no  resource 
but  their  own  struggles.  However  such  necessity 
may  lead  to  the  development  of  unrealized  energies, 
and  often  tend  to  the  formation  of  estimable  char- 
acter, still,  ere  its  beneficial  results  are  learned,  it  is 
a  heavy  burden  on  the  spirits  and  exertions  of  its 
subjects.  Each  heart,  thus  situated,  knows  its  own 
sorrows.  Help  for  it,  at  such  a  period,  is  like  the 
bright  sun  emerging  from  dark  and  stormy  clouds. 
Thus  deprived  of  fatherly  watchfulness,  Mr.  Shaw 
was  doubly  the  object  of  his  mother's  solicitude. 

October  29.  Her  words  are,  "  I  think  about  you 
hourly,  and  bear  you  upon  my  mind  at  the  throne 
of  grace.  I  wish  for  no  blessing  myself  so  much  as 
for  you  and  your  dear  sisters.  I  think  I  should 
scarcely  have  a  wish  to  continue  in  this  vale  of  tears, 
were  it  not  for  the  hope  of  being  useful  to  my  chil- 
dren and  more  qualified,  by  suffering,  for  higher  de- 
grees of  perfection  in  a  better  world.  My  son,  you 
are  bound  by  every  tie  upon  earth,  to  conduct  wisely. 
Pray  earnestly,  that  you  may  be  kept  from  tempta- 
tion and  delivered  from  evil.  Let  conscience  de- 
termine. That  will  be  your  judge  and  advocate  at 
the  court  of  Heaven,  where  no  further  appeal  can 
be  made.  God  grant  that  it  may  never  condemn 
you."  Advice,  so  disinterested,  so  requisite  amid 
youthful  perils,  so  applicable  to  our  spiritual  neces- 
sities at  all  times,  in  every  condition  and  pursuit, 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  15 

was  highly  appreciated  by  him,  as  most  sacred. 
Concerning  his  deportment  at  Cambridge,  a  matter 
of  great  importance  to  parents,  whose  children  are 
away  from  their  immediate  supervision,  she  observes, 
"  I  feel  unspeakable  pleasure  in  finding  your  con- 
duct approved." 

November  13.  As  indicative  of  the  mode  in 
which  he  acquired  knowledge,  his  mother's  letter 
says,  "  By  the  pleasure  you  take  in  being  instructed, 
I  hope  you  will  be  qualified  and  enabled  to  instruct 
others."  In  reference  to  such  as  had  become  inter- 
ested in  his  welfare,  she  remarks,  "  Though  your 
earthly  parent  is  taken  from  you,  yet  you  have  a 
Heavenly  Parent,  who  is  able  to  supply  all  your 
wants,  and  who  has  raised  you  up  many  friends.  If 
yon  behave  well,  I  hope  they  will  be  continued  to 
you,  and  you  be  a  blessing  to  them."  For  the  kind- 
ness of  such  benefactors,  his  heart  always  beat  with 
the  warmest  gratitude.  According  to  the  benevo- 
lent disposition  and  action,  for  which  he  was  re- 
markable, we  have  the  words  of  the  same  faithful 
mentor  to  him. 

December  3.  Referring  to  the  bereaved  flock  of 
her  departed  husband,  her  language  is,  "  If  I  can 
in  any  way  serve  this  people,  I  shall  consider  it  both 
a  duty  and  a  pleasure.  I  have  had  the  happiness  of 
living  among  them,  loving  and  beloved.  Let  us 
endeavor  to  do  good,  trusting  in  the  Lord,  and 
'verily  thou  shall  be  fed.'  This  is  the  promise  of 
Him  who  never  fails.  Let  us  cherish  the  idea,  and 
while  it  consoles,  may  it  animate  us  in  every  worthy 
pursuit."  For  all,  as  well  as  for  him,  such  precepts 


16  MEMORIALS    OF 

should  not  be  like  tracks  in  the  sand,  but  as  imper- 
ishable inscriptions  on  the  tablets  of  the  heart. 

1795,  March  31.  Another  epistle  from  the  same 
hand  remarks  to  him  :  "  I  am  glad  it  is  not  your 
disposition  to  be  ostentatious  of  your  knowledge,  or 
to  give  your  opinion  unasked.  It  would  have  given 
your  father  and  me  pain  to  have  seen  you  bold  or 
conceited.  An  attentive,  modest,  respectful  manner 
of  behavior  is  ever  pleasing,  especially  in  those  of 
your  age."  Thus  speaking  of  his  deportment,  it 
reverts  to  his  studies,  "  Your  father  thought  it  es- 
sential that  you  should  have  a  good  understanding 
of  the  classics,  as  a  foundation  upon  which  you 
must  build  all  your  other  learning.  I  know  you 
feel  too  much  respect  for  his  memory,  not  to  follow 
his  advice,  as  far  as  you  are  able.  Committing  our 
thoughts  to  paper  makes  us  more  attentive,  more 
close  observers.  Every  thing  which  obliges  us  to 
think,  meditate,  and  reflect,  must  be  of  service. 
Still,  there  is  a  time  for  all  things.  I  would  not 
only  have  }  ou  read,  but  be  very  judicious  in  the 
choice  of  your  authors,  that  you  may  select  and  lay 
up  treasures  in  your  mind,  which  may  be  brought 
forth  at  your  pleasure  and  never  be  subject  to 
decay."  Invaluable  were  such  repeated  precepts  for 
a  youth  launched  on  a  perilous  voyage  in  search  of 
knowledge,  from  affections  ever  warm,  from  a  mind 
ever  abundant  in  pure  and  elevated  thought. 

June  29.  From  studies  we  turn  to  fashion  in 
dress.  As  an  indication,  that  collegians  continued 
the  custom  of  wearing  "  small  clothes,"  his  mother 
says,  that  she  will  send  him  a  pair  of  black  ones. 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  17 

While  on  this  topic,  she  often  mentioned  to  him 
the  importance  of  persevering  in  habits  of  cleanli- 
ness and  neatness  in  attire,  as  productive  of  some 
influence  on  the  character  of  the  mind,  as  well  as 
of  repute  with  the  world. 

To  guard  him  against  too  much  dependence  on 
present  good  standing,  so  as  to  neglect  the  means 
for  its  continuance  in  future,  she  observes, 

August  17.  "  There  has  been  many  a  modest,  vir- 
tuous freshman,  who  has  become  a  very  licentious 
senior.  I  mention  this,  my  son,  that  they  whose 
characters  now  stand  fair,  may  be  always  watching 
over  themselves,  examining  impartially  their  own 
conduct,  that  their  mothers'  hearts  may  not  have 
cause  for  heaviness,  nor  they  blast  the  pleasing  ex- 
pectations, which  their  early,  amiable  deportment 
had  raised." 

1796,  July  3.  On  the  occasion  of  his  having 
passed  through  nearly  one-half  of  the  collegiate 
ordeal,  she  thus  writes  to  him.  "You  say  that  two 
years  have  almost  elapsed  since  you  have  resided  afi 
the  seat  of  the  muses.  I  hope,  upon  a  retrospect, 
you  will  find  that  you  have  advanced  many  degrees 
in  the  scale  of  literature,  and  are  so  filling  up  your 
time  in  performing  the  various  duties  of  a  scholar,, 
that  when  you  come  into  life,  you  may  be  a  useful 
and  valuable  member  of  society.  Diligence  and 
perseverance  should  be  your  motto,  and  that  of 
every  youth  who  wisely  covets  the  best  gifts.  But) 
however  justifiable  the  acquisition  of  knowledge 
may  be,  yet  there  is  danger  of  crowding  the  mind, 
which  instead  of  promoting  hinders  its  growth. 
3 


18  MEMORIALS   OF 

There  is  an  analogy  between  the  body  and  mind. 
By  repletion,  the  energies  of  the  former  are  cramped  f 
so  with  those  of  the  latter/7 

July  27.  Among  the  letters  of  Mr.  Shaw,  who 
was  in  Haverhill,  is  one  from  Richard  Sullivan L 
of  Boston.  It  speaks  of  several  subjects,  then 
receiving  much  public  attention.  Of  these  were 
the  book,  called  "  The  Man  of  Feeling  ;  "  the  ab- 
sorbing topic  of  politics  j  the  progress  of  the  theatre 
in  the  metropolis,  and  Mrs.  Williamson  as  its  prin- 
cipal star. 

September  5.  Having  returned  to  Cambridge, 
maternal  counsels  still  communed  with  him.  They 
follow :  "  I  watch  your  words  and  conduct,  not 
with  the  severe  eyes  of  a  critic,  but  with  the  tender, 
affectionate  solicitude  of  a  mother,  concerned  for 
your  present  and  future  well-being  ;  who  is  not  only 
desirous  of  your  deserving,  but  also  retaining  a  good 
name,  which  the  wisest  of  men  has  pronounced 
fr  better  than  precious  ointment.'  It  is  a  herald 
which  will  be  of  great  service.  It  will  insure  you 
a  kind  reception  wherever  Providence  may  lead 
you,  especially  among  the  worthy.  We  should  not 
only  do  good  deeds,  my  son,  but  by  our  prudent, 
open  conduct,  evince  to  all,  that  we  are  actuated  by 
good  principles  and  aim  at  good  ends.  I  am  always 
alarmed  when  I  hear  any  one  say,  that  he  cares  not 
for  the  opinion  of  the  world.  We  are  all  too  de- 
pendent on  our  fellow-creatures,  for  the  necessaries 
and  comforts  of  life,  to  say  this  with  impunity.  It 


Still  living,  in  Boston,  of  the  legal  profession. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  19 

is  true,  we  ought  not  to  regard  the  opinion  of  the 
world,  when  it  comes  in  competition  with  our  duty; 
but  that  is  seldom  the  case.  Individuals  oftener 
err,  than  the  whole  community.  In  general,  the 
world  is  a  competent  judge  of  character.  There- 
fore, the  common  voice  ought  to  be  regarded  with 
particular  attention.  He  who  cares  not  for  a  good 
name,  seldom  deserves  it,  and  soon  becomes  odious 
to  society." 

Sept  30.  On  the  subject  of  politics,  Mr.  John  Vose1 
thus  addresses  him  :  "It  is  now  a  time  for  Federal- 
ists to  exert  themselves,  Washington  being  about 
to  retire  from  public  life,  though  not  from  the  heart 
of  the  good  citizen." 

November  27.  With  regard  to  a  letter,  just  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  Shaw,  his  mother  answered  it  as 
follows.  "  I  am  sorry  to  hear  of  the  sickness  at 
college.  I  do  not  wonder  that  you  were  struck 
with  a  deep  sense  of  the  uncertainty  of  life,  when 
you  saw  so  many  of  your  companions  suddenly 
snatched  from  you  by  the  unrelenting  hand  of 
death.  We  must  not  forget,  that  '  dying  friends 
are  angels,  sent  on  errands  full  of  love.'  It  is  for 
us  to  improve  every  providence  to  some  good  moral 
purpose." 

December  1.  His  elder  friend,  Vose,  again  re- 
marks in  a  letter  to  him,  "  Our  political  hemisphere 
is  at  present  unclouded.  True,  Mr.  Adet2  has  tried 

1  Preceptor  of  Atkinson  Academy,  N,  H.,  died  April  3,  1840, 
set.  73. 

8  Minister  from  the  French  Republic,  suspected,  as  his  predecessor 
Genet,  was,  of  stepping  aside  from  his  proper  duties,  to  influence 
Americans.  He  resigned  here,  November  15, 1796. 


20  MEMORIALS   OF 

to  condense  the  vapor  for  a  storm.     May  it  blow  off 
with  him." 

1797,  January  10.  His  mother,  in  writing  to 
him  about  a  plan  which  Mr.  White  l  and  he  proposed 
but  did  not  execute,  for  traveling  through  a  large 
part  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire,  ob- 
serves, "  It  is  in  the  common  affairs  of  life,  that 
we  discover  our  natural  tempers,  and  by  our  man- 
agement of  these,  persons  judge  how  we  shall  con- 
duct in  affairs  of  greater  importance.  However 
small  and  trifling  things  may  appear  at  first  view, 
yet  whatever  tends  to  form  a  habit,  ought  to  be  re- 
garded as  of  the  utmost  consequence."  From  the 
same  communication,  he  appears  to  have  begun  a 
school  at  Weymouth.  We  quote  its  language  on 
this  subject :  u  The  business,  in  which  you  are  now 
engaged,  will  show  you  the  necessity  of  order,  not 
I  hope,  by  the  want  of  it,  but  by  its  beneficial  in- 
fluences. I  hope,  my  son,  you  have  endeavored  to 
be  exact  as  to  your  time,  and  to  discharge  with 
fidelity  the  important  office  of  teaching  youth.  It 
should  be  your  first  object  to  gain  their  love  and 
respect,  by  showing  them  that  you  are  seeking  their 
good  ;  then  you  can  more  easily  refine  their  man- 
ners and  improve  their  minds.  They  who  teach 
others,  should  be  particularly  cautious,  in  every  re- 
spect, as  to  their  own  behavior.  Let  me  entreat 
you,  my  son,  to  set  a  double  guard  over  yourself, 
at  this  period  of  life,  and  beware  of  those  sins, 
which  more  easily  beset  youth.  Ten  thousand 

1  Judge  Daniel  White,  of  Salem,  in  the  class  before  Mr.  Shaw. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  $1 

snares,  gilded  with  novelty,  await  you.  May  Heav- 
en preserve  you  from  natural,  but  more  especially 
from  every  moral  evil.  The  first  can  only  injure 
the  body,  but  the  latter  destroys  the  soul."  With 
regard  to  the  amusement  of  card-playing,  which 
was  on  the  increase  in  the  community,  the  same 
watchful  parent  expressed  herself:  "  How  few  can 
say,  I  have  gone  no  further — I  have  a  complete 
command  over  myself — my  reason  is  never  over- 
come— I  have  never  spent  my  parents'  interest  by 
gaming — I  have  never  played  for  drink— I  have 
never  felt  my  passions  irritated,  nor  have  been  pn> 
voked  to  utter  profane  oaths?  How  few,  my  son, 
can  say  this  with  truth  ?  How  much  oftener  than 
otherwise,  has  many  an  innocent,  inexperienced 
youth,  who  thought  nothing  of  turning  a  few  pieces 
of  paper,  been  drawn  in  by  some  veterans  of  mis- 
chief, and  plunged  into  a  labyrinth  of  misery  ? 
From  small  beginnings,  our  greatest  evils  often 
arise.  Therefore,  as  you  value  the  peace  of  a  fond 
mother,  your  own  interest,  usefulness  arid  happiness, 
and  the  approbation  of  your  God,  avoid  every  thing 
which  may  tend  to  form  an  improper  habit ;  flee 
from  it  as  a  pestilence,  a  destruction,  that  will  assur- 
edly waste." 

February  6.  In  reference  to  the  benevolence, 
which  his  aunt1  showed  him  while  in  his  first 
experiment  of  instruction,  his  mother  says,  "I  hope 
you  evince  your  gratitude  to  her  by  a  most  careful 
attention  to  her  counsel.  The  law  of  kindness 
dwells  upon  her  lips."  With  respect  to  his  com- 

1  The  wife  of  President  John  Adams. 
3* 


22  MEMORIALS   OF 

pensation  for  such  employment ;  "  The  coldness  of 
the  weather  and  the  badness  of  the  traveling  must 
have  made  your  earnings  very  hardly  gained.  I 
hope  it  will  teach  you  how  to  use  it  prudently.  It 
is  a  proverb,  that  they  who  earn  money,  know  how 
to  spend  it  wisely.  It  is  the  first  of  your  earning, 
and  that  will  attach  to  it  a  peculiar  value."  Rela- 
tive to  his  expenditures ;  "  Exact  accounts,  receipts 
and  prudence,  is  a  duty  highly  incumbent  on  you." 

March  24.  Concerning  some  disorderly  students, 
the  same  hand  sends  the  timely  advice  :  "  When 
we  know  and  are  apprised  of  danger,  it  is  wise  in 
us  to  keep  a  strong  sentinel — to  double  our  guard. 
The  time  is  fast  approaching,  when  some  of  your 
society  are  to  bid  a  farewell  to  the  university,  while 
many  of  them  conduct,  as  if  they  meant  to  bid  a 
perpetual  farewell  to  reason,  good  sense,  virtue,  de- 
corum, and  every  species  of  propriety.  I  hope,  my 
dear  son,  you  will  not  join  with  a  multitude  to  do  evil. 
Do  nothing  which  in  your  retired  moments  con- 
science cannot  approve,  or  with  which  you  would  be 
ashamed  to  have  your  best  friends  acquainted." 

September  24.  Respecting  a  remark,  which  Mr. 
Shaw  made  to  his  mother,  that  collegians  too  much 
neglected  their  personal  appearance  and  the  civili- 
ties of  refined  manners  among  themselves,  her  reply 
is,  "If  the  observation  is  just,  I  think  the  better  part 
of  the  students  should  immediately  begin  a  reform- 
ation. They  should  be  polite,  cautious  how  they 
injure  each  other's  feelings,  be  neat  in  their  cham- 
bers, and  properly  respectful  to  every  one.  Thus 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  23 

benevolence  and  virtue  will   be  ripened  into  a  con- 
firmed habit." 

1798,  January  2.  Among  the  correspondents  and 
classmates  of  Mr.  Shaw  was  Arthur  M.  Walter,  of 
Boston.  The  latter  describes  some  of  the  leading 
topics  as  to  European  politics.  He  states,  that  news 
had  just  come  of  the  probability  that  our  Envoy, 
Mr.  Pirickney,  would  be  "obliged  to  quit  France. 
Bonaparte  is  to  command  an  army  to  be  called  the 
army  of  England,  destined  to  act  against  that 
country.  The  French  have  issued  a  proclamation 
wherein  they  express  their  confidence  of  success. 
I  am  in  no  fear  of  the  conquest  of  Britain.  In  that 
Island  men  and  manners,  laws  and  liberty,  are  pow- 
erful interests." 

January  15.  Mr.  Shaw,  in  his  reply  to  this  friend, 
mentions  that  he  had  received  a  package  containing 
Phocion,  Gifford,  and  Erskine's  speeches  on  the 
trial  of  Williams  for  publishing  Paine's  "  Age  of 
Reason,"  and  many  of  Porcupine's  papers.  He 
observes,  "  I  am  sorry  that  you  did  not  read  them 
before  you  sent  them  to  me.  You  would  not  have 
been  less  pleased  with  Peter's  genuine  humor,  than 
with  the  independence,  sound  judgment,  and  elo- 
quent style  of  Gifford.  Mr.  E.,  I  suspect,  is  a  much 
better  Christian  than  a  politician.  G.  opposes  facts 
to  declamation,  and  proofs  to  bare  assertion.  E. 
has  said,  that  "  religion  was  not  exposed  to  any  de- 
gree of  danger  from  the  French  revolution  and  its 
principles  which  its  votaries  proclaimed."  In  an- 
swer to  this,  G.  says,  "You  are  wholly  ignorant  of 
the  proceedings,  which  have  passed  an  France,  riot 


24  MEMORIALS   OF 

only  on  many  political,  but  on  all  religious  topics, 
for  you  reason  like  a  man  who  has  just  awaked 
from  a  seven  years'  sleep." 

Porcupine1  is  shooting  his  quills  as  usual.  He  is 
very  severe  against  Russel,  tells  him  that  he  believes 
he  gained  his  knowledge  of  the  law  of  nations  from 
Adet's  Political  Blunderbuss.  Poor  man,  says  he, 
"  If  you  know  no  more  of  the  laws  of  God  than 
you  do  of  the  law  of  nations,  I  am  afraid  you  are 
in  a  desperate  way."  Referring  to  the  conduct  of 
France,  he  says,  "  The  follies  and  vices  of  the 
French  have  succeeded  one  another  so  closely,  I 
should  think  it  would  even  puzzle  the  recording 
angel  to  write  them  down."  In  answer  to  some 
observations  of  Walter  on  honors,  as  usually  con- 
ferred, he  said,  "  Give  me  no  other  greatness  than 
that  of  the  soul,  no  other  riches  than  those  of  the 
mind." 

January  20.  In  reply,  Walter  touched  on  the 
severity  with  which  Porcupine  had  attacked  Ben- 
jamin Franklin,  for  being  too  much  under  French 
influence.  He  relates  that  he  had  lately  visited 
Newport,  R.  I.  "  One  thing  struck  me  very  dis- 
agreeably. As  I  entered  the  town,  I  perceived  a 
tree,  fenced  round  with  painted  rails,  and  '  Tree  of 
Equality'  inscribed  upon  the  fence."  His  objection 
to  it  was  its  aping  of  the  French,  who  were  in  gen- 
eral, then  trying  to  level  all  distinctions  in  the  most 
unrighteous  mode. 

January  23.  Mr.  Shaw  answers  and  mentions  his 

1  William  Cobbctt. 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  25 

interest  in  a  work  on  the  French  revolution  by  a 
lady,1  and  translated  by  Gifford,  as  a  production  of 
much  talent  and  merit. 

January  29.  Walter  sends  back  that  he  recently 
had  a  letter  from  Peter  Porcupine,  who  said  that  his 
work  was  taken  by  nearly  three  thousand  subscri- 
bers. He  says  "Fauchet's2  pamphlet  exciles  no 
alarm  and  creates  no  distrust.  Pickering's  masterly 
letter,3  though  written  before,  is  a  complete  answer 
to  it.  The  general  supposition  is,  that  our  Com- 
missioners (in  Paris)  will  not  accomplish  their  ob- 
jects. If  so,  I  trust  every  patriot  will  rally  round 
our  rights  and  defend  our  constitution  with  courage 
and  success/' 

April  21.  He  states,  that  there  is  in  the  Boston 
post-office,  a  pamphlet  for  Shaw,  entitled  "  What 
is  our  situation  and  what  our  prospects  ?  By  an 
American." 

June  24.  The  latter  thus  expresses  himself, 
"  Yes,  Walter,  I  am  more  and  more  convinced,  that 
there  are  secret  societies  established,  disseminating 
themselves  over  the  world,  whose  object  is  to  abol- 
ish all  religion  and  government.  Some  time  since, 
a  most  respectable  gentleman  abroad,  wrote  home, 
that  there  was  a  society  in  Germany,  Prussia,  and 
France  who  called  themselves  Theophilanthropists. 


1  Helen  Maria  Williams  published  on  this  subject  in  1791  and 
1794. 

2  Joseph  Fauchct,  ex-minister  from  France  to  the  United  States. 
His  pamphlet,  dated  September  2,  1797,  is  on  the  relations  of  the 
former  nation  to  the  latter. 

3  Reply  in  1797  to  a  piece,  published  by  the  Spanish  Minister  to 
our  Government. 


20  MEMORIALS  OF 

They  preach  up  a  theological  and  political  mixture 
of  deism,  morality  and  anti-Christianity.  The  so- 
ciety is  under  the  special  protection  of  the  French 
Directory.  Lepaux  is  one  of  its  founders.  He  is 
a  bitter  enemy  to  Christianity,  against  which  he  has 
written  many  dissertations.  Dupont,  father  of  the 
late  rejected  Consul,  is  coming  to  America,  with  an 
intention  to  establish  one  of  these  societies  in  this 
country.  The  letter  alluded  to,  was  written  before 
Dr.  Robertson's  book  was  published.  I  have  left 
with  Buckminster,1  for  your  perusal,  the  life  of 
Charles  Fox.  I  read  it  last  week.  It  is  well  worth 
your  attention.  You  will  find  likewise  with  him, 
D'lvernois's  Reflections  on  the  System  of  the 
French  Government." 

June  27.  Walter,  writing  to  him  of  Buckmin- 
ster, then  in  Cambridge  college,  says,  "There  is 
something  in  his  manner  and  disposition  which  irre- 
sistibly attracts,  and  something  in  his  intelligence 
and  way  of  communication,  which  captivates  and 
conquers." 

July  20.  Shaw  addresses  Walter  :  «  The  French 
will  be  disappointed  in  perceiving  that  the  passive- 
ness  of  Americans  is  now  waking  from  its  lethargy. 
Washington's  appearance  at  the  head  of  our  armies 
must  ( electrify  every  bosom'  in  his  country's  cause. 
Under  his  banners,  'though  perils  should  abound 
as  thick  as  thought  could  make  them,  and  appear 
in  forms  more  horrid,'  who  can  contend  otherwise 
than  valiantly?  " 


Joseph  S.  Buckminster. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  27 

Relative  to  his  having  been  chosen  as  the  private 
secretary  to  President  John  Adams,  Mr.  Shaw's 
mother  had,  previously  to  this  time,  sent  him  advice 
fitted  to  such  a  trust.  Her  words  were,  "  It  was 
the  counsel  of  an  experienced  father,  when  his  son 
was  going  to  travel  in  Spain  and  Italy,  to  keep  his 
countenance  open,  but  his  thoughts  close.  And 
you,  my  dear  son,  in  the  department  you  are  pre- 
paring for,  will  find  silence,  secrecy  and  circum- 
spection, even  to  preciseness,  in  yonr  conversation, 
absolutely  necessary.  Compliance  with  the  injunc- 
tion, *  Be  swift  to  hear  and  slow  to  speak,'  will 
save  you  from  shame  and  a  thousand  heart-aches. 
As  you  enter  into  life,  yon  will  be  more  and  more 
convinced  of  this  melancholy  truth,  that  artful  dis- 
guises, specious  shows  of  friendship,  falsehood  and 
deceit  are  prevalent  in  every  circle." 

July  25.  Being  at  duincy,  Shaw  receives  a  letter 
from  Buckminster  at  Waltham,  about  Commence- 
ment affairs.  "Channing's1  oration  was  received 
with  great  applause.  It  was  characterized  with 
that  nervous  expression,  which  has  ever  stamped 
his  writings.  His  delivery  was  admirable."  "  Kirk- 
land's2  oration  before  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  was  solid, 
political,  spirited  and  ingenious.  It  is  printed." 

August  9.  Walter  communicates  his  views  on  the 
subject  of  not  receiving  a  degree,  at  Harvard,  be- 
cause he  declined  to  perform  the  part  assigned  to 
him.  He  also  states,  that  he  regrets  the  subject  has 
gotten  into  the  newspapers  ;  that  he  shall  study  in 


1  William  E.  Channing. 

2  John  T.  Kirkland,  subsequently  Pres.  of  Harvard  University. 


28  MEMORIALS  OF 

New  York  till  May,  then  be  examined  for  a  degree, 
and  in  the  fall,  embark  for  Europe.  Speaking  of 
the  purpose  which  France  had  declared,  to  invade 
England,  he  remarks,  "  There  is  a  God  in  heaven 
who  will  never  suffer  the  garden  of  the  Hesperides 
to  become  an  extensive  sand  waste.  If  proud 
France  wishes  to  ( make  cowards  of  us  all,'  we 
will  oppose  Adams  to  Talleyrand  and  Washington 
to  Bonaparte."  In  reference  to  performances  at 
Commencement,  he  observes,  Channing's  "  Present 
Age  "  was  excellent,  though  unpolished.  He  drew 
his  pictures  of  France,  Germany,  Spain,  England 
and  America,  like  a  young  Apelles.  He  expected  to 
have  had  a  school  at  Portland,  but  he  has  received 
no  answer  to  his  letter.  He  said  that  he  should  go 
to  Newport  soon,  and  continue  his  studies  till  an  op- 
portunity should  offer  for  the  exertion  of  his  abili- 
ties. God  bless  him.  Longfellow  l  is  in  an  office 
at  Portland,  very  happy.  He  wishes  you  would 
write  to  him.  Buckminster  is  at  Waltham  this  va- 
cation. He  has  written  me  once.  He  tells  me  of 
the  beauty  of  Mr.  Lyman's  situation,  of  the  pas- 
tures, cataracts,  fish-ponds,  besides  the  sister  deities 
of  the  place.  He  is  a  lovely  fellow,  and  I  wish  him 
well  with  all  my  heart.  Story's2  "Reason  "  was 
beautiful  poetry.  It  is  publishing  in  this  town. 
Spalding's 3  Conference  is  justly  esteemed  one  of 
the  best  performances.  Kirkland's  oration  is  mas- 

1  Stephen  Longfellow,  of  the  legal  profession  in  Portland,  Me., 
died  August  6,  1849,  a>t.  73. 

2  Late  Judge  Joseph  Story. 

3  Physician  at  Chelmsford,  and  then  of  Amherst,  N.  H. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  29 

terly."  Leaving  these  concerns,  he  mentions  sick- 
ness in  Boston.  "The  yellow  fever  is  in  the  town. 
Two  or  three  or  more  die  every  day.  The  people 
are  moving  out  as  fast  as  possible." 

1798,  August  31.  A  correspondent  of  Mr.  Shaw 
mentions  to  him  an  item  of  dress,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  a  political  badge.  This  was  the  black  cock- 
ade, as  expressive  of  favor  for  federal  principles  and 
the  English,  while  the  tri-colored  was  so  for  demo* 
cratic  policy  and  the  French. 

September  2.  His  mother  says  to  her  sister 
Cranch,  "  I  hope  my  son  will  do  well.  May  he  be 
properly  sensible  of  the  price  put  into  his  hands. 
I  hope  he  is  attentive  to  his  uncle's  business,  and 
remembers,  that  his  time  is  now  not  his  own,  but 
another's." 

Sept.  3.  Shaw  informs  Walter,  that  the  reason  of 
his  suspended  correspondence  were  the  calls  of  his 
new  office.  He  mentions  several  political  subjects 
as  follows:  Talleyrand  had  inquired  of  Mr.  Gerry1 
who  were  the  persons  designated  by  W,  X,  Y  and 
Z»a  Thomas  Paine  edited  a  paper  in  France. 

Sept.  9.  Walter  replies,  "  Gerry  and  Talleyrand's 
correspondence  seem  to  occupy  the  reflections  of  the 
public  mind.  Our  government  was  certainly  wise 
in  publishing  the  dispatches.  Pinckney  and  Mar- 
shall are  safe  ;3  they  have  produced  excellent  effects 
in  America,  and  you  inform  me  they  have  spread 
like  wild-fire  in  Europe.  Deluded  Frenchmen  are 

1  Elbridge  Gerry,  afterwards  Governor  of  Massachusetts. 
5  French  writers,  said  to  have  been  Hottinger,  M.  Bellamy,  and 
M.  Hauteval.  3  Dispatches. 

4 


30  MEMORIALS  OF 

prevented  from  perusing  them  by  the  artful  intrigues 
of  the  Directory.  I  trust  they  will  soon  open  their 
eyes  and  exert  their  energies  in  procuring  liberty 
by  the  downfall  of  the  present  despotism  and  the 
erection  of  a  happy  constitution.  Our  business  is 
with  ourselves.  If  we  can  keep  from  the  arts  of 
this  foe,  I  care  not  for  her  arms.  I  do  not  see 
any  thing  remarkable  in  the  intercepted  letters  of 
Priestly."  Concerning  the  yellow  fever,  "  Boston 
is  a  little  infected  with  this  most  dreadful  disorder, 
but  it  declines  in  number  and  virulence,  while  our 
accounts  from  Philadelphia  are  dreaful." 

September  24.  An  epistle  from  his  mother,  speaks 
of  her  afflictive  discipline,  especially  in  relation  to 
the  recent  decease  of  her  daughter.1  It  adds, 
"  The  road  of  life  is  devious,  dangerous,  thorny 
and  rugged.  You  may  depend  on  this  as  a  certain 
truth,  my  son,  that  nothing  but  religion,  the  bright 
prospect  of  a  better  world,  a  conscience  void  of 
offence  toward  God  and  man,  can  support  us  and 
cheer  the  gloomy  vale.  With  such  a  protection, 
we  may  be  wounded,  but  not  dismayed ;  we  may 
be  shaken,  but  not  overthrown." 

October  7.  He  sends  a  communication  to  Walter. 
Some  of  its  contents  follow.  "  Why  did  you  not 
come  to  see  nae  the  afternoon  after  you  went  to 
Squantum  ?  I  had  placed  the  English  papers  on 
the  middle  of  the  table  and  a  chair  by  the  side  of 
it  for  you,  expecting  every  moment  to  see  you  en- 
ter. Demourier,  in  his  pamphlet,  thinks  there  must 

1  Elizabeth  Quincy  Shaw,  born  May  26,  1780,  died  September  4, 
1798. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  31 

be  a  universal  peace  or  a  general  war  in  Europe 
very  soon.  We  have  no  more  reason  to  expect 
permanent  peace,  than  I  have  that  I  should  be 
obeyed  were  I  to  command  the  rain,  which  now 
most  violently  beats  in  at  my  windows,  to  cease, 
and  the  wind,  which  now  seems  as  if  it  would  blow 
down  every  thing  around  me,  c  to  gently  kiss  the 
trees  and  make  no  noise.'  The  conduct  of  the 
French  Directory  exemplifies  the  maxim  of  Plu- 
tarch, *  Add  power  to  passion,  and  there  is  no  wild 
beast  so  savage  as  man.'  Mr.  Humphreys  informed 
me,  that  half  of  the  people  in  France  would  re- 
joice to  have  Bonaparte  for  their  king.  The  ladies 
of  Paris  have  likenesses  of  the  late  King  and  Q,ueen 
stamped  on  their  fans  so  that  they  are  not  visible 
unless  placed  in  a  particular  position  to  the  light." 

He  receives  a  letter,  mailed  10th,  from  William 
E.  Channing,  at  Newport,  R.  I.  It  expresses  the 
sentiments  of  its  author,  in  the  eloquent  style  for 
which  he  was  noted.  Speaking  of  his  friendly  in- 
tercourse with  Mr.  Shaw,  while  in  college,  it  re- 
marks, "  I  still  remember  your  social  fire  in  winter, 
how  we  collected  round  it  for  social  converse  ;  our 
walks  by  moonlight,  how  we  strolled  over  the  com- 
mon or  took  the  solitary  road  to  the  Judge's.  The 
memory  of  these  days  will  ever  be  fresh  within 
me."  It  turns  to  another  quarter.  "  There  is  a 
beach  about  a  mile  from  the  town.  Here  I  go  once 
a  day.  I  never  saw  such  grandeur  as  the  wild 
scenery  of  nature  here  presents.  The  towering 
and  craggy  rocks,  the  roar  of  the  waves,  the  foam 
with  which  they  dash  on  the  shore,  and  the  bound- 


32  MEMORIALS   OF 

less  ocean  before  you,  all  contribute  to  inspire  with 
awe  and  rapture."  It  takes  a  different  theme.  "  I 
arn  on  the  point  of  changing  my  mode  of  life.1  A 
field  has  opened  for  exertion.  I  trust  that  my  bur- 
dens will  be  no  heavier  than  I  can  bear,  and  as  I 
wipe  the  sweat  from  my  brow,  I  shall  be  cheered 
when  I  think  that  the  struggles  which  I  make,  are 
the  struggles  of  honest  industry."  It  proceeds. 
"I  suppose  you  know  the  profession  which  I  mean 
to  follow.  Yes,  Shaw,  I  shall  be  a  minister,  a 
shepherd  of  the  flock  of  Jesus.  My  hold  on  life  is 
feeble,  I  look  forward  to  a  better  country.  While 
I  am  journeying  toward  it  myself,  I  wish  to  lead 
others  the  same  way.  I  know,  Shaw,  that  you 
revere  religion.  I  wish  that,  in  your  political 
career,  you  would  sometimes  look  beyond  the 
strifes,  crimes  and  intrigues  of  nations,  to  the  har- 
mony and  blessedness  of  Christian  piety  in  another 
state.  We  shall  take  different  courses  in  life,  but 
we  shall  meet  in  the  grave.  We  shall  bow  before 
the  same  tribunal,  and,  I  trust,  shall  rejoice  forever 
in  the  same  heaven.  You  will  think  that  I  have 
grown  quite  ministerial  j  but,  believe  me,  I  cherished 
the  same  sentiments  in  college,  as  I  now  do.  In 
my  view,  religion  is  but  another  name  for  happi- 
ness. I  am  most  cheerful,  when  I  am  most  reli- 
gious," 

October  18.  Another  communication  from  the 
same  hand.  "  I  wish  to  write  you  a  few  lines  in 
behalf  of  my  friend  Wainwright.  You  know  his 

*  Teaching  school  at  Richmond,  Va. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  33 

merits.  He  has  this  day  arrived  at  Newport,  and 
communicated  to  me  his  determination  to  enter  the 
navy.  Should  a  midshipman's  berth  become  va- 
cant, could  you  not  represent  him  as  a  person  wor- 
thy of  that  post.  It  appears  to  me  that  he  will  one 
day  rise  to  a  command  in  the  navy.  He  is  all 
resolution,  all  soul,  all  head.  To-morrow  I  set  sail 
for  Virginia.  Ah  Shaw !  the  parting  tear  will 
flow." 

October  30.  A  letter  from  John  Vose.  It  reverts 
to  the  decease  of  Mr.  Shaw's  sister,  previously  men- 
tioned. "  Never  was  a  person  more  truly  lamented 
than  your  dear  departed  sister.  Ten  thousand 
silent  tears  bedew  her  memory."  It  speaks  of 
military  preparation.  "Gov.  Gilman  has  lately 
ridden  the  circuit  of  the  State  to  review  the  several 
regiments.  His  presence  has  reanimated  expiring 
discipline.  Should  France  land  an  army  on  our 
territory,  they  would  find  that  dreary  forests  and 
snow-topped  mountains  are  not  the  only  barriers  to 
oppose  their  conquest."  It  refers  to  pecuniary  af- 
fairs. "A  scarcity  of  cash  still  prevails  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  This  has  originated  thou- 
sands of  lawsuits." 

Walter  to  Shaw,  October  24.  "  I  am  going 
to  hear  the  Chronicle  printer  tried  for  sedition." 
November  3.  "  I  know  not  how  to  express  the 
indignation  I  feel  respecting  Logan's  embassy.  It 
is  an  unjustifiable  attack  on  the  constituted  au- 
thorities of  our  country.  What  if  we  do  wish  for 
peace,  must  it  be  purchased  at  the  expense  of  honor." 


34  MEMORIALS   OF 

The  writer  had  begun  to  compose  a  Romance, 
entitled,  "  The  Castle  of  Madiap." 

As  an  instance  of  the  civilities  shown  the  head 
of  the  general  government,  when  they  held  their 
sessions  in  Philadelphia,  the  following  is  given. 
November  21.  "  Mr,  Dallas1  presents  his  compliments 
to  the  private  Secretary  of  the  President.  The  Gov- 
ernor arid  militia  officers  propose  to  pay  a  respectful 
visit  to  the  President,  to  welcome  him  to  the  seat  of 
government  on  Tuesday  next ;  and  Mr.  Dallas  is 
requested  to  obtain  information  at  what  hour  it  will 
be  convenient  to  receive  the  compliment." 

Nov.  26.  Walter's  letter  from  the  city  of  New 
York  states,  that  he  had  entered  Columbia  college, 
to  be  there  a  few  months,  for  a  degree. 

Nov.  28.  William  E.  Channing  writes  from 
Richmond,  Va.  "Yours  of  October  15,  reached 
me  November  15.  I  thank  you  from  my  heart  for 
your  kind  attention.  And  you  have  lost  a  sister  t 
\  will  not  direct  you  to  the  source  of  consolation. 
You  have  found  it  already.  You  have  applied  the 
healing  balm  of  religion  to  your  wounds,  and 
blessed  the  heavenly  Physcian,  whose  bleeding  body 
was  nailed  to  the  cross  to  procure  you  such  relief. 
You  may  see  from  my  letter  the  warmth,  with 
which  I  have  embraced  the  Christian  cause. 
Would  to  God  that  I  could  resign  every  worldly 
prospect,  and  bend  my  whole  soul  to  improvement 
in  religion  and  the  diffusion  of  the  truths  of  th,e 
gospel.  It  cuts  me  to  the  heart  to  see  the  con- 

1  Alexander  James  Dallas,  Secretary  of  the  State  of  Pennsylva- 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  35 

tempt  with  which  the  name  and  the  worship  of  the 
11  Majesty  of  heaven  "  are  treated  by  the  generality 
of  mankind.  Do  we  not  offer  a  new  cup  of  gall 
to  our  crucified  Saviour  !  Are  we  not  as  inhuman 
as  the  Jews?  Do  we  not  plat,  like  them,  a  crown 
of  thorns  for  the  head  of  the  Redeemer.  They 
despised  him,  and  were  ashamed  to  acknowledge 
him."  The  communication  then  replies  to  some 
remarks  of  Mr.  Shaw  on  the  absorbing  subject  of 
French  policy.  It  then  proceeds.  *'  I  rejoice  with 
you,  my  friend,  at  the  Victory  of  Nelson.  Old 
England,  forever  ! "  He  mentions  the  significa- 
tion, in  which  the  term  Jacobin,  was  generally  re- 
ceived, "as  synonomous  with  a  dishonest,  immoral, 
factious  and  disorganizing  man."  It  discusses  the 
alien  and  sedition  bills,  and  the  dread  lest  the 
country  should  be  brought  to  crouch  at  the  feet  of 
France. 

December  12.  Shaw,  in  Philadelphia,  to  Walter. 
Speaking  of  his  journey  to  this  city  :  "  I  found 
that,  all  the  way,  in  Massachusetts,  great  prejudices 
had  been  excited  against  the  land  tax."  He 
mentions  a  letter  from  Joel  Barlow,  in  Paris,  to 
Baldwin,  the  brother-in-law  of  his  wife,  as  being 
too  much  for  the  subserviency  of  our  country  to 
France.  He  adds,  "  Mr.  Barlow,  I  am  told,  has 
published  a  new  edition  of  his  Vision  of  Columbus, 
and  has  expunged  every  line  and  word  respecting 
his  God  and  his  religion.  All  this,  you  see,  is  the 
effect  of  French  philosophy." 

December  19.  Walter  states  that  William  Austin, 
their  classmate,  had  consulted  with  his  father  in 


36  MEMORIALS   OF 

Boston  about  going  as  schoolmaster  and  chaplain  on 
board  the  Constitution.     He  went  in  her. 

December  21.  Shaw  to  William  E.  Channing  in 
Richmond.  "  Yours  respecting  Wainwright,  I  re- 
ceived a  little  before  I  left  duincy.  I  have  spoken  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  respecting  him,  and  feel 
certain  that  he  may  obtain  his  wish.  Dr.  Logan  is 
chosen,  by  a  large  majority,  representative  to  the  Le- 
gislature of  this  State.  The  day  he  took  his  seat,  it  so 
happened  that  there  was  a  new  carpet  placed  on  the 
floor  of  the  house.  The  Aurora,  the  morning  after, 
said  that  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  pleased 
with  Logan's  late  conduct,  and  wishing  every  pos- 
sible attention  should  be  paid  to  him,  had  ordered  a 
new  carpet  to  be  placed  on  the  floor.  What  will 
the  French  Directory  say  to  this,  that  Logan  returns 
home  and  is  honored  with  a  seat  in  the  Legislature  ! 
His  interference  is  no  new  thing.  Charles  Fox 
sent  a  Mr.  Adair,  as  his  representative,  in  '92  or  '93, 
with  his  cipher  to  St.  Petersburgh,  there  to  frus- 
trate the  objects,  for  which  the  minister  from  the 
crown  was  authorized  to  treat.  He  succeeded  in 
his  design.  But  this  principle  will  never  do.  It  is 
subversive  of  all  good  order  and  government.  By 
the  Eastern  mail  of  this  day  we  have  had  right 
glorious  news,  which  seems  to  gladden  every  heart. 
A  vessel  arrived  at  Newburyport,  fifty-six  days  from 
Hamburgh,  brings  accounts  of  the  total  defeat  of 
Bonaparte  and  the  destruction  of  his  transports.  I 
enclose  you  the  paper  containing  the  information. 
The  Aurora  is  carried  on  with  more  inveteracy  and 
ill-humor  than  ever.  It  is  conducted  by  one  Duane, 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  37 

an  Englishman.  He  was  author  of  a  scandalous 
letter  to  General  Washington,  while  President, 
signed  Jasper  Dwight.  Extracts  from  it  were  pub- 
lished in  the  Centinel.  They  have  lately  repub- 
lished  from  a  Virginia  paper  some  letters,  addressed 
to  General  Marshall,  signed  Curtius.  Do  you  know 
the  author  ?  Some  one  sent  the  President  an  ex- 
cellent pamphlet  on  the  sedition  and  alien  bills, 
published  at  Richmond.  I  think  you  must  have  read 
it.  Do  you  know  the  writer  ?  The  more  I  think 
of  these  bills,  the  more  I  am  convinced  of  their 
propriety  and  necessity.  Indeed,  I  cannot  conceive 
of  a  government's  existing  long  without  laws  to 
prevent  the  licentiousness  of  the  press.7' 

Dec.  22.  Shaw  to  Walter :  "  Congress,  as  yet, 
have  done  little  or  nothing.  Harper's  resolution  to 
publish  the  alien  and  sedition  bills,  excited  some 
warmth.  Gallatin  rose  to  speak,  as  I  went  into  the 
House,  for  the  first  time,  but  I  could  scarcely  under- 
stand a  word  he  uttered.  What,  said  I  to  myself, 
can  there  be  in  the  Legislature  of  my  country  an 
individual,  whose  pronunciation  is  so  broken  as  not 
to  be  understood  ? 

"  You  must  have  heard  that  there  are  a  number 
of  Indians  in  the  city.  On  Monday  they  came  to 
see  the  President,  being  five  large,  tall,  and  as  good 
looking  men  as  I  ever  saw.  Had  Buffon  and  the 
Abbe  Raynal  been  present,  they  would  have  blushed 
for  their  assertion,  that  man  was  belittled  in  Amer- 
ica. Some  of  their  sentences  forcibly  struck  me. 
They  were  these,  { Brother,  although  we  are  in 
your  house,  and  sheltered  from  the  cold  winds,  still 


38  WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW. 

we  are  in  the  eye  of  God.  From  his  sight  we 
never  can  hide  ourselves.  He  is  here  in  this  room 
and  hears  what  we  say  to  you.  We  may  deceive 
you,  but  cannot  deceive  him.  Although  we  are  not 
of  the  same  color  with  you,  brothers,  still  our  hearts 
are  as  white  as  yours.' 

"  Phocion  was  written  by  Mr.  Smith,1  our  minis- 
ter in  Portugal." 

December  23.  Mrs.  Adams,  at  Q,uincy,  writes  to 
Mr.  Shaw.  Relative  to  our  national  affairs,  she  ob- 
serves :  "  t  say  of  America,  as  Gibbon  did  of  Eng- 
land in  the  year  '92,  '  If  she,  with  experience  of  her 
own  happiness  and  the  knowledge  of  French  perfidy 
and  French  calamities,  should  be  seduced  to  eat  the 
apple  of  security,  she  would  indeed  deserve  to  be 
driven  from  the  paradise  which  she  enjoys.'  We 
shall  preserve  our  dignity  without  craving  assistance 
from  the  potentates  of  the  old  world.  The  answer 
of  the  House  will  have  a  happy  effect  upon  the 
union  and  politics  of  the  States.  It  looks  as  if 
French  influence  was  sunk  very  low.  It  will  also 
have  an  influence  in  Europe.  I  most  sincerely 
wish,  that  our  party  bickerings  and  personal  resent- 
ments would  yield  to  the  great  and  momentous  na- 
tional interests." 

1  William  Loughton  Smith,  of  South  Carolina. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Politics  —  Separation  from  the  Union — Navy  —  Southey — Count 
Rumford — Insurrection  in  Pennsylvania — Purposes  of  France — 
Illuminati — Belsham — Community  of  Property — Fenelon. 

1799,  January  10.  A  letter  from  Mr.  Shaw's 
mother.  "  You  are  now,  my  son,  embarked  on  the 
wide  ocean  of  life.  Your  passage  cannot  be  pleasant 
nor  useful,  unless  reason  be  your  card  and  the  Chris- 
tian religion  your  pole  star.  This  will  insure  you 
contentment  through  the  rugged,  devious  voyage, 
and  safely  land  you  on  a  happier  shore.57 

A  long  communication  is  received  the  14th,  from 
Channing.  He  laments  the  success  of  the  French 
against  the  allies,  and  ably  considers  the  question  of 
a  standing  army.  His  own  opinion  is,  that  they 
had  better  be  disbanded  and  reliance  be  placed  upon 
the  militia,  if  need  required. 

From  the  same,  received  23d.  "  Did  you  but 
know  the  exquisite  happiness  which  the  handwrit- 
ing of  a  friend  affords  me,  now  that  I  am  so  far 
from  home,  without  one  companion  of  my  youth 
to  cheer  my  social  or  share  my  gloomy  hours,  I  am 
sure,  that  you  would  snatch  a  few  moments  from 
sleep  or  the  round  of  amusements,  to  scribble  me  a 


40  MEMORIALS  OF 

letter.  You  seem  anxious  to  know  how  I  am  situ- 
ated. Very  happily,  I  assure  you  ;  as  happily  as  I 
could  be  at  such  a  distance  from  Newport.  I  have 
but  ten  scholars.  I  finish  school  before  dinner,  and 
all  the  rest  of  the  day  I  spend  as  I  choose.  I  am 
treated  with  every  attention  I  can  desire.  I  have  a 
retired  room  for  my  study,  a  lovely  plain  to  walk 
in  ;  and  you  know,  that  under  these  circumstances, 
I  cannot  be  miserable.  I  often  look  towards  the 
North  with  a  sigh,  and  think  of  the  scenes  I  have 
left  behind  me.  Society  becomes  more  and  more 
insipid.  I  am  tired  of  the  fashionable  nonsense, 
which  dins  my  ear  in  every  circle.  I  am  driven  to 
my  book  and  pen  for  relief  and  pleasure."  Chan- 
ning  then  enters  on  an  eloquent  argument  as  to  the 
best  method  of  improving  the  condition  of  our  race. 
He  dwells  much  on  the  idea  of  a  community  of 
property.  At  the  close,  he  inquires,  "  Can  we  ben- 
efit the  world?  I  am  willing  to  sacrifice  temporal 
interest  and  my  brightest  prospects "  for  such 
an  object.  With  regard  to  the  writers  of  some 
productions,  he  states  :  "  The  author  of  Curtius 
is  James  Thompson,  of  Petersburg!!,  Va.  The 
author  of  the  pamphlet  on  the  alien  and  sedition 
laws,  is  Mr.  Evans,  a  senator  or  representative  in 
Congress." 

On  the  subject  which  has  been  continually  be- 
fore the  public,  when  the  political  pulse  has  beat 
feverishly,  Channing  writes,  24th,  "  You  will  see 
the  spirit  of  the  Virginia  Legislature.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  a  separation  from  the  Union  is  intended. 
Giles  is  very  active  and  influential," 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  41 

Jan.  29.  Shaw  to  Walter.  "  The  long  wished  for 
dispatches  are  come.  I  hope  this  country  will  be 
wisely  instructed  by  the  fatal  experience  of  every 
Republic  in  Europe,  and  listen  to  none  of  the  over- 
tures for  peace,  made  by  the  French  Directory. 

"  O  Buckingham  !  beware  of  yonder  dog. 
Look ;.  when  he  fawns,  he  bites  ;  and  when  he  bites, 
His  venom  tooth  will  rankle  to  the  death." 

Jan.  31.  As  a  matter  of  interest,  particularly  to  the 
medical  profession,  Dr.  Thomas  Welsh,  of  Boston, 
writes  to  Mr.  Shaw  :  "  I  have  sent  by  Dr.  Bartlett 
the  translation  of  the  French  dissertation  on  the 
late  fever.  Nancrede,  you  know,  was  the  trans- 
lator, but  he  does  not  think  that  he  could  undertake 
to  print  it ;  and  has  therefore  handed  it  to  me,  that 
it  may  be  forwarded  to  the  gentleman  who  com- 
posed the  original,  that  he  may  make  such  use 
of  it  as  he  may  think  proper.  Mr.  Brown,  who 
keeps  one  of  the  public  reading  schools  in  this 
town,  has  lately  written  on  the  disease  a  sort  of 
compilation,  and  I  think  it  probable  has  made  some 
use  of  this,  as  I  understand  Nancrede  let  him  in- 
spect it." 

February  2.  A  reply  of  Mrs.  Adams  (at  Q,uincy) 
to  a  description,  which  Mr.  Shaw  had  given,  of  the 
proceedings  at  "  the  ball."  In  this  she  observed, 
as  to  the  manners  of  those  who  attended,  "  I 
always  despised  the  appellation,  woman's  man.  To 
be  a  gallant,  a  man  must  have  a  little  of  the  fop." 
She  humorously  remarked,  as  to  the  President's 
omission  of  franking  a  letter  to  her,  "  Though  the 
President  and  I  am  one  in  the  eye  of  the  law 
5 


42  MEMORIALS   OF 

and  the  gospel,  I  believe  Congress  would  question 
both  of  the  authorities,  and  debate  a  month,  if  the 
question  were  put,  Does  the  privilege  of  the  Presi- 
dent extend  to  his  lady,  and  are  letters  to  her  and 
from  her  free  of  postage  ?  " 

Feb.  7.  Walter's  letter  from  New  York.  "  I  trust 
America  is  now  fully  acquainted  with  the  designs 
of  France,  and  will  resent  her  threats  with  the  spirit 
of  freemen.  England  is  putting  forth  the  strong 
and  hardy  buds  of  national  energy.  I£  the  other 
European  powers  will  but  assist  her  in  the  glorious 
work,  the  clay-built  fabric  of  French  despotism 
will  fall  to  the  ground.  At  the  same  time,  I  admire 
the  firmness  and  decision  of  our  Executive,  and  his 
clemency  in  saying,  that  he  is  ready  to  enter  on  ne- 
gotiation as  soon  as  the  French  are  willing  to  send 
an  envoy  to  this  country." 

From  Samuel  B.  Malcolm,  of  New  York.  "I 
had  expected  by  this  time,  that  the  recommendation 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  would,  if  not  wholly 
acquiesced  in,  at  least  have  been  agitated  in  the 
House.  Convinced  that  ships  are  the  natural,  the 
most  efficacious,  and  the  least  expensive  defence  of 
our  country,  I  listen  to  every  suggestion  for  its  in- 
crease with  satisfaction,  though  the  army  is  no  less 
an  object  of  my  devotion.  The  establishment  of 
the  latter  is  slow.  The  necessity  of  an  effective 
force  seems  urgent,  from  the  late  measures  of  Vir- 
ginia and  Kentucky.  All  there  is  not  well.  The 
period  of  Northern  and  Southern  separation  will 
probably  come.  Still  the  evil  day,  I  trust,  is  dis- 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  43 

tant.  The  recall  of  our  envoys  to  France,  I  rejoice 
to  see  accomplished." 

Feb.  26.  From  W.  E.  Channing.  "  I  am  now  to- 
tally immersed  in  literature.  I  have  settled  a  course 
of  reading  for  three  years.  I  hope  at  the  end  of  that 
time  to  have  knowledge  enough  to  enter  on  the 
world."  He  then  gives  a  list  of  authors  and  adds, 
"  Tell  me  what  books  must  be  added  and  what  re- 
trenched. What  merit  has  Robertson's  North 
America  ?  Is  he,  like  the  sun,  more  majestic  at 
his  setting  ?  What  does  Fenno's  paper  mean  by 
talking  so  much  about  united  Irishmen  ?  Is  there 
any  serious  apprehension  of  danger  from  them? 
You  have  probably  heard  that  Giles  has  declared 
that  he  wishes  a  separation  (of  Virginia)  from  the 
Union." 

March  7.  Shaw  in  Philadelphia  to  Walter  in 
New  York.  "  I  regret  extremely  that  the  major- 
ity against  the  repeal  of  the  alien  and  sedition  bills 
was  so  small  as  it  was,  three  only.  There  is  a  class 
of  men  in  this  country  possessing  some  public  con- 
sequence, but  entirely  destitute  of  any  moral  princi- 
ple, whose  whole  lives  are  spent  in  the  prostitution 
of  their  talents  to  the  perversion  of  their  reason, 
whose  unceasing  endeavors  are  to  mislead  the  public 
mind,  to  obstruct  public  business,  and  thus  embarrass 
the  operations  of  government.  I  have  been  led  to 
these  observations  by  the  late  conduct  of  the  Vir- 
ginians. They  appear  to  bid  defiance  to  all  laws, 
human  and  divine.  Some  of  them  do  not  hesitate 
to  avow,  that  they  wish  a  separation  of  their  State 
from  the  Union.  The  new  loan  was  filled  sooner 


44  MEMORIALS   OF 

than  any  one  expected.  Almost  fifteen  millions 
were  subscribed  as  soon  as  gentlemen  could  write 
their  names.  The  scrip  was  sold  yesterday  at  twen- 
ty-five per  cent,  advance.  1  thank  you  for  sending 
me  Joan  d'Arc.  I  don't  recollect  when  I  have  read 
a  book,  with  which  I  have  been  more  pleased.  Do 
you  know  that  Southey  wrote  his  poem  in  the  short 
space  of  six  weeks,  and  published  it  in  twelve 
books  ;  that  he  afterwards  revised  and  published  it 
in  ten,  as  we  now  have  it ;  that  he  has  lately  pub- 
lished a  new  edition,  in  which  he  has  left  out  the 
whole  of  the  eighth  book,  containing  the  Vision  of 
the  Maid,  and  which  I  thought  discovered  as  much 
true  genius  as  any  of  the  ten  ?  Southey  did  not 
write  the  second  book,  in  which  the  Palace  of  Am- 
bition is  so  admirably  described.  It  was  the  pro- 
duction of  his  intimate  friend,  Coleridge.  In  this 
work,  Southey  has  written  as  if  he  plucked  his 
quill  from  an  angel's  wing.'7 

March  8.  Shaw  to  W.  E.  Channing.  "Letters from 
our  ministers  in  Europe  mention  the  poor  king  of 
Sardinia's  abdicating  his  throne,  fleeing  from  Turin, 
his  continental  residence,  to  the  island  of  Sardinia ; 
Spain's  granting  leave  to  France  to  march  an  army 
through  her  territory  to  invade  Portugal.  '  The  Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy  has  not  yet  received  any  official 
accounts  of  Truxton's  victory,  but  there  is  not  any 
doubt  of  its  truth.  I  flatter  myself,  that  the  world 
will  soon  know,  that  American  heart  of  oak,  under 
the  management  of  American  sailors,  will  constitute 
that  firm  bulwark  of  our  national  independence, 
which  will  bid  them  defiance." 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  45 

March  9.  A  letter  from  Mrs.  Adams  at  duincy.  On 
a  topic,  then  much  discussed,  her  language  follows: 
"  I  am  not  pleased  with  a  set  of  people,  who  profess 
to  be  federalists  just  as  long  as  the  measures  of  the 
government  promote  their  interests  ;  but  lose  all 
confidence  and  exclaim  against  them,  whenever 
their  views  are  opposed.  «  The  President  will  not 
be  advised.  He  will  act  of  his  own  head.  He  is 
determined  to  support  Gerry  in  opposition  to  all  his 
friends.  He  must  tread  back  the  steps  he  has  taken, 
for  the  Senate  will  never  advise  and  consent  to  the 
nomination  of  Mr.  Murray.'  Then  comes  the  new 
nomination.  The  Seriate  advised  to  that  in  order 
to  defeat  the  measure,  for  Mr.  Ellsworth  is  out  of 
health,  and  Patrick  Henry  so  old,  that  he  will  not  go. 
But  are  not  the  Senate  pointed  out  by  the  consti- 
tution as  advisers  of  the  President  ?  Yes.  Are 
there  any  others  whom  he  is  obliged  to  consult? 
No.  *  But  Washington  always  did.'  Was  not  he 
censured  for  being  led  by  Hamilton  ?  But  why 
was  not  the  Secretary  of  State  consulted  ?  Ay, 
there's  the  rub.  Such  has  been  the  zeal  with- 
out knowledge  of  some  of  our  hot-heads.  They 
are,  however,  cooling  down.  Some  person  asked 
Judge  Davis,1  when  the  news  first  arrived,  what  he 
thought  of  the  measure.  *  Wait  a  fortnight,'  said 
he,  'and  then  I  will  tell  you.  I  have  not  forgotten 
the  British  Treaty  yet.'  " 

March  11.  Prom  Walter.    "  My  sister  has  written 


1  John  Davis,  late  Judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court  in 
Massachusetts,  who  died  January  14,  1847,  within  eleven  days  of 
being  eighty-six  years  old. 

5* 


46  MEMORIALS  OF 

me  that  Count  Rumford  and  his  daughter  are  com- 
ing to  Boston  this  spring,  and  are  agoing  to  reside 
near  Cambridge,  as  he  desired  my  father  to  procure 
him  a  house.  This  will  be  gratifying  to  his  country- 
men. He  has  benefited  the  world  essentially  by 
his  chemical  processes  with  regard  to  fire,  and  de- 
serves to  be  considered  as  one  of  the  very  few,  who 
delight  in  doing  good." 

March  22.  S.  Ewing  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw  at 
Q,uincy.  "  The  insurrection  in  the  northern  counties 
of  this  State  (Pennsylvania)  will,  I  presume,  vanish 
in  a  few  days.  The  agents  in  the  business  have  trans- 
gressed or  misunderstood  their  powers,  and  the  prin- 
cipals have  become  alarmed.  They  are  not  pre- 
pared to  go  great  lengths.  Let  it  be  as  it  may,  we, 
1  the  soldiers,'  are  prepared  cheerfully  to  defend  the 
Constitution.  We  are  ordered  to  hold  ourselves  in 
readiness,  at  a  moment's  warning,  to  march,  and 
when  that  moment  comes,  we  shall  march  with 
pleasure." 

March  29.  From  Walter  in  New  York.  "Gallatin, 
as  you  say,  is  a  very  ingenious  man.  He  almost 
1  makes  the  worse  appear  the  better  cause.'  Sam- 
uel Dexter  used  to  remark,  that  Gallatin  was  one  of 
the  first  men  in  his  own  country.  The  insurrection 
in  Pennsylvania,  from  all  accounts,  appears  to  be 
formidable  and  increasing.  Things  are  advancing 
to  a  crisis  in  Europe.  England  still  presents  a  bold 
front  to  the  revolutionary  storm.  Pitt  is  unshaken. 
The  spirit  of  the  father  reigns  in  the  son." 

April.  Shaw  at  Q,uincy  to  Walter.  He  observes 
of  the  insurgents  in  Pennsylvania,  "  They  said, 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  47 

that  the  law  authorizing  the  direct  tax  was  illegal. 
They  believed,  that,  if  resisting  it,  they  should  be 
supported  by  the  State  of  Yirginia,  and  even  by 
General  Washington  himself." 

April  7.  Shaw  to  W.  E.  Channing,  in  Richmond, 
Va.  "  Of  the  Pennsylvania  insurgents,  no  great  is 
to  be  feared.  A  few  companies  of  militia,  marching 
to  the  spot,  it  is  thought,  will  disperse  them  imme- 
diately and  without  difficulty.  The  insurgents  are 
principally  Germans,  very  ignorant  and  most  unac- 
countably deluded.  They  have  among  them  a 
German  priest,  who  has  not  been  in  this  country 
but  a  few  months,  is  a  disciple  of  Weishaupt,  and 
has  done  much  mischief.  They  said  that  the  law 
authorizing  the  direct  tax  was  illegal,  because  it 
was  not  signed  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  Vice  Pres- 
ident, but  one  Theodore  Sedgwick,  whom  they  did 
not  know.  They  absolutely  agreed  to  dispatch  a 
courier  to  General  Washington,  to  know  whether  it 
was  legal  or  not.  A  report  circulated  among  them, 
and  was  generally  believed,  that  John  Adams  had 
married  his  eldest  son  to  the  king  of  England's 
daughter,  and  that  he  was  soon  to  return  to  this 
country  and  a  monarchy  was  to  be  established." 

April  2 1.  From  Abner  Rogers1  at  Cambridge.  Re- 
plying to  Mr.  Shaw's  letter,  which  mentioned  the 
privileges  he  left  in  Philadelphia  and  the  hardness  of 
traveling  thence,  he  remarked,  "  I  have  often  heard 
that  the  remembrance  of  pleasure  so  far  absorbs  the 
mind,  that  it  is  not  susceptible  of  painful  impres- 

1  Born  at  Hampstead,  N.  H. :  H.  C.  1800  :  practiced  law :  died 
18H. 


48  MEMORIALS  OF 

sions.  But  a  fellow  in  a  horse-pond,  will  soon  be 
sensible  of  his  situation.  If  that  were  not  the  case, 
a  person  once  happy,  might  be  always  so." 

April  22.  From  S.  Ewing  in  Philadelphia.  "  The 
greatest  part  of  the  prisoners  have  arrived  from 
Northampton.  It  is  probable  that  they  will  be  tried 
next  week.  Mr.  Lewis  is  employed  for  Fries  and 
Eberhard  ;  Dallas,  Ingersoll  and  my  brother  for  the 
remainder." 

April  26.    Shaw  at  duincy  to  Walter  in  New 
York.    Criticising  on  several  works  which  they  had 
read,  he  remarks,  "  You  do  not  seem  so  pleased  with 
the  Pursuits  of  Literature,  as  I  expected.     It  is  true, 
that  the  author  is  unpardonably  vain.     Still,  I  can- 
not help  being  gratified  with  the  energy  of  his  style, 
the  dignity  and  boldness  of  his  sentiments.     His 
periods  are   nervous  and  flowing,  as  any  author  I 
ever  read,  not  excepting   Burke.     I  will  apply  to 
himself,  what   he    has  said   of  Boileau,  'There  is 
in  this  book  such  an  ardent  zeal  for  propriety  in 
sentiment  and  in   expression,  such  a  sense  of  the 
dignity  of  human  nature,  when  undebased ;  such  a 
hatred  of  hypocrisy,  such  a  love  of  purity,  such  an 
abhorrence   of  all  profaneness  and   indecency  and 
even  indelicacy,  that  I  am  not  able  to  name  a  man, 
whose  work,  at  the  present  time,  may  be  read  with 
more  advantage.'  "     From  literature  he  proceeds  to 
politics  :  "  I  am  happy  in  having  it  in  my  power  to 
congratulate  you  on  the  quelling  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia insurrection,  without  armed  opposition  and  loss 
of   blood.     France   has  asked  leave    of    Spain    to 
march  through  her  territory.     She   will  probably 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  49 

comply.  French  principles  and  influences  are  deeply 
rooted  in  her  soil.  Should  a  French  army  be  thus 
permitted,  they  will  pillage  everything  they  can  lay 
their  hands  on,  though,  by  the  way,  it  cannot  be  of 
much  value."  He  mentions  religious  topics.  "I 
send  you  a  most  charming  address  of  Bishop  Watson 
to  the  diocese  of  Landaff.  I  do  admire  this  man. 
There  appears  so  much  goodness,  so  much  candor 
arid  modesty  in  all  his  writings,  that  one  cannot 
but  love  him." 

May.  From  William  E.  Channing.  "You  appear, 
Shaw,  to  be  absorbed  in  politics.  You  are  at  the 
fountain-head  of  information.  Political  institutions 
are  only  valuable  as  they  improve  and  moralize  hu- 
man nature.  Wealth  and  power  are  subordinate 
considerations,  and  are  far  from  constituting  the  real 
greatness  of  a  State.  I  blush  for  mankind  when  I 
see  interest  the  only  tie  which  binds  them  to  their 
country ;  when  I  see  the  social  compact  improved 
for  no  purpose  but  the  accumulation  of  riches ;  and 
the  prosperity  of  a  nation  decided  by  the  successful 
avarice  of  its  members.  I  wish  to  see  patriotism 
exalted  into  a  moral  principle,  and  not  a  branch  of 
avarice.  I  wish  to  see  governments  established  and 
administered  with  the  view  of  enlightening  the 
mind  and  dignifying  the  heart. 

"  You  wish  to  know  what  I  think  of  France.  I 
think  her  cause  desperate  indeed.  I  cannot  con- 
ceive how  a  government  founded  on  corruption, 
unsupported  by  the  attachment  of  its  subjects,  un- 
able to  pay  armies,  shaken  by  internal  convulsions, 
surrounded  by  rebellious  allies,  and  attacked,  as 


50  MEMORIALS  OF 

Prance  soon  must  be,  by  the  united  forces  of  Europe, 
can  maintain  its  ground  and  withstand  such  formi- 
dable and  consolidated  opposition.  These  consider- 
ations have  led  me  to  suppose,  in  spite  of  the  Sec- 
retary's report,  that  she  (France)  was  sincere  in  her 
pacific  professions  to  Mr.  Gerry.  Do  not  misunder- 
stand me.  I  do  not  say  that  France  has  given  up 
her  views  on  this  country.  I  do  not  say  that  she  is 
less  active  in  her  intrigues.  I  know  better.  What 
I  mean  is  this,  that  France  rested  her  hopes  of  suc- 
cess on  the  party  she  had  formed  in  our  own  bosom, 
that  she  never  calculated  upon  the  spirit  which 
burst  forth  on  the  publication  of  the  dispatches,  that 
her  critical  situation  rendered  a  war  with  us  impol- 
itic, and  that,  of  course,  it  was  her  interest  to  heal 
the  breach  with  us  and  wait  for  a  more  favorable 
opportunity  to  accomplish  her  designs.  Pickering 
tells  us  that  France  wished  to  delude  us  by  the 
semblance  of  a  negotiation,  and  palsy  our  exertions. 
No  doubt  she  wished  us  to  repose  in  the  lap  of  con- 
fidence till,  having  'sharked  up  the  fry  of  Europe,7 
she  should  have  leisure  to  devour  us  also.  But 
how,  in  fact,  was  this  to  be  done  ?  She  had  evi- 
dently been  too  sudden  in  claiming  tribute  from 
America.  She  saw  that,  in  spite  of  her  opiates, 
the  eagle's  eye  was  vigilant,  and  c  the  national  pulse 
beat  high '  for  war  ;  she  saw  unexpected  energies 
of  patriotism  bursting  forth,  and  measures  of  de- 
fence adopted,  notwithstanding  her  tampering  with 
our  envoy ;  she  had  no  navy  to  force  us  to  compli- 
ance. Thus  situated,  I  ask,  what  was  she  to  do  ? 
Was  it  not  her  interest  to  quiet  our  jealousies  by 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  51 

forming  a  treaty  with  us,  and  delay  to  another  and 
more  promising  period  her  schemes  of  bondage  ?  I 
am  not  for  enlarging  our  standing  army.  It  is  the 
engine  which  has  beat  down  the  walls  of  liberty  in 
all  ages.  I  think  every  farthing  thrown  away, 
which  is  not  expended  on  our  navy.  There  is  not 
the  shadow  of  a  probability  that  France  will  attempt 
an  invasion.  The  seas  are  our  tender  part,  and  I 
hope  soon  to  behold  an  American  navy  which  will 
place  us  out  of  danger  of  an  invasion  from  any 
foreign  power,  which  will  render  our  flag  more  re- 
spected than  it  has  hitherto  been,  and  raise  us  above 
dependence  on  any  European  nation  for  protection 
of  our  commerce.  I  am  opposed  to  standing  ar- 
mies on  account  of  their  moral  effects.  The  activ- 
ity of  war  will  leave  the  soldier  no  time  to  corrupt 
himself.  But  an  army  in  time  of  peace,  is  the  hot- 
bed of  vice." 

May  12.  Shaw  in  duiucy  to  W.  E.  Channing  in 
Richmond,  Va.  "I  have  read  your  letters  over  and 
over  again,  and  I  should  not  deserve  to  live  were  I 
not  delighted  with  the  beautiful  enthusiasm,  and 
benevolent  wishes,  breathed  in  every  word.  Is  not 
your  theory  incompatible  with  the  experience  of 
ages  ?  A  community  of  property,  of  all  things, 
always  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  most  impracticable, 
especially  so  in  the  present  demoralized  state  of  the 
world,  when  men  seem  to  be  willing  to  sacrifice 
their  God,  their  country,  and  their  own  souls,  to 
their  own  private  and  present  interests.  Is  not 
money  by  far  the  most  powerful  motive  to  action  ? 
'Gold  is  omnipotent  below.'  Bring  such  a  world 


52  MEMORIALS   OF 

together  in  a  community  of  property,  how  long 
would  it  continue?  You  would  have,  if  you  allow 
the  expression,  a  continual  war  of  all  against  all. 

"  How  do  you  proceed  in  your  course  of  history? 
Belsham  has  continued  the  History  of  England  from 
the  Revolution  under  William  and  Mary.  He  ap- 
pears, I  think,  to  be  rather  prejudiced  against  the 
ministry.  I  am  now  reading  Davila's  History  of  the 
Civil  Wars  in  France.  This  is  peculiarly  interesting 
at  the  present  time.  One  cannot  but  see  a  most 
striking  similarity  of  conduct  in  the  leaders  of  the 
factions  in  that  day,  and  in  those  of  the  late  revolu- 
tion of  Prance.  Sully's  Memoirs  I  am  advised  to 
read  immediately  after  this.  These  two  books  will 
make  up  for  the  deficiency,  in  part,  of  which  you 
complained  in  Hume,  'that  he  did  not  throw  light 
enough  on  the  rest  of  Europe.'  I  am  happy  to 
have  it  in  my  power  to  congratulate  you  on  the 
quelling  of  the  Pennsylvanian  insurrection  without 
loss  of  blood. 

"  How  was  the  late  federal  fast  observed  at  Rich- 
mond ?  There  were  many  excellent  political  ser- 
mons preached  in  this  State  on  that  day.  Dr.  Morse 
has  published  a  sermon,  in  which  he  asserts  that  he 
has  indubitable  proof,  that  there  are  societies  of  the 
Illuminati  established  in  this  country.  These  soci- 
eties have  become  so  numerous  in  Great  Britain, 
that  the  king  ordered  the  secretary,  Mr.  Duridas,  to 
collect  the  documents  respecting  them  and  send 
them  to  the  House  of  Commons.  Here  they  were 
icferred  to  a  secret  committee,  whose  report  I  en- 
close with  this.  There  were  the  greatest  exertions 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  53 

this  year,  by  the  jacobins,  that  ever  have  been 
made,  in  order  to  leave  out  Governor  Sumner  and 
bring  in  Heath,  to  change  the  federal  senators  and 
representatives;  but  they  have  succeeded  but  poorly. 
Sumner  has  a  large  majority.  The  Chronicle  of 
Boston  is  sold  to  Mr.  James  White,  the  bookseller, 
and  has  become  a  very  federal  paper.  John  Rus- 
sell's Gazette,  commercial  and  political,  is  now, 
I  think,  the  best  paper  on  our  continent." 

May  15.  Samuel  A.  Otis1  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw, 
"  I  fear  we  shall  see  troublesome  times  ere  long. 
The  French  power  increases,  and  their  malignity 
towards  us  is  boiling.  The  Fast  was  observed  here 
with  more  sobriety  than  they  generally  keep  Sun- 
day. This,  however,  is  not  saying  much.  The 
Quakers,  for  the  most  part,  had  their  shops  open. 
They  are  resolved  to  go  to  heaven  in  their  own 
way,  I  cannot  subscribe  without  repeating  my 
wish  that  the  President  had  taken  a  country-house 
in  this  vicinity.  Remarks  show  a  dislike  of  his 
retirement  from  Philadelphia." 

May  17.  Walter  at  Cambridge  to  Shaw.  "  I  have 
been  lately  reading  Belsham's  Essays.  He  is  an  en- 
ergetic and  solid  writer.  His  independent  spirit 
leads  him,  I  think,  to  dogmatism.  He  wrote  about 
the  commencement  of  the  French  revolution,  and 
rather  sanguine  in  its  favor.  I  hope,  by  this  time, 
that  a  person  of  his  judgment  has  discovered  that 
the  hot-bed  of  such  revolution  will  ripen  the  night- 


1  Samuel  Allyne  Otis,  Secretary  of  tlie  United  States  Senate^ 
died  April  22,  1814,  jet.  73. 

6 


54  MEMORIALS   OF 

shade  of  tyranny.  His  Essays  on  Christianity  are 
liberal  in  the  extreme." 

Shaw  to  William  E.  Charming.  "  I  can  most 
cordially  join  you  in  rejoicing  for  the  success  of 
the  federalists,  in  their  late  election,  in  Virginia. 
This  promises  much  in  our  favor.  The  probability 
is,  I  believe,  that  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  next 
Congress  will  be  firm,  federal  men.  This  will  be 
more  than  the  most  sanguine  could  expect.  In  a 
government  like  ours,  to  believe  there  will  be  a  per- 
fect coincidence  of  sentiment  in  all  for  its  support, 
would  be  a  truly  Utopian  idea.  Every  country  has 
many  men  who  call  themselves  patriots,  but  are  so 
merely  from  selfish  motives,  who,  with  Horace,  are 
eternally  crying,  'dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patria 
mori,'  merely  to  obtain  some  office  under  its  admin- 
istration." 

May  21.  From  Thomas  B.  Adams,  who  was  about 
taking  up  his  residence  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  on 
an  excursion  to  Washington.  Of  this  place  he 
gave  a  humorous  account,  which  shows  us  what  it 
was  then.  "  A  city  growing  in  the  midst  of  woods. 
What  admiration  must  it  not  excite  on  reading  of 
the  stately  capitol,  the  magnificent  Presidential  pal- 
ace, the  commodious  Blodget  hotel,  placed  equi-dis- 
tant  from  each  other,  though  scarcely  visible  by 
reason  of  distance.  Here,  in  the  language  of  geog- 
raphers, is  a  fine  champaign  country,  well  stored  with 
wood,  abounding  in  various  sorts  of  grain  ;  a  ma- 
jestic river,  navigable,  full  of  fish  and  wild  fowl ; 
and  other  natural  advantages,  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion. The  situation  of  the  ground,  on  which  the 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  55 

city  is  to  stand,  is  very  pleasant.  From  different 
positions  you  are  presented  with  a  very  fine  pros- 
pect, uniting  landscape  and  water  scenery,  and  from 
almost  every  point  a  view  of  Alexandria  mingles  / 
with  and  diversifies  the  whole.  The  capitol  is  in 
very  considerable' forwardness ;  I  mean  one  wing  of 
the  building,  and  might  be  finished  in  a  few  months. 
The  President's  house  is  not  quite  so  forward,  and, 
as  to  the  rest,  they  are  yet  on  the  ground.  During 
my  stay  at  Annapolis,  I  received  great  hospitality 
from  the  first  characters  of  the  place.  What  a  fine 
thing  it  is  to  have  a  father,  when  his  merits  are  thus 
visited  on  the  child." 

Shaw  at  duincy  to  Walter  in  New  York. 
"  The  speech  of  Pitt,  on  union  with  Ireland,  has 
demonstrated  to  me,  that  there  is  not  a  subject,  even 
casually  presented  to  him,  in  which  he  is  not  able 
to  appear  conspicuous.  His  conduct,  during  the 
present  war,  indicates  as  if  he  had  looked,  with  a 
prophetic  eye,  into  the  'seeds  of  time,'  and  knew 
which  would  produce  good  and  which  evil  fruit. 
He  has  men  continually  at  their  posts,  with  instru- 
ments to  cultivate  the  one  and  destroy  the  other. 
Of  the  numerous  sermons  which  were  preached  at 
the  late  fast,  and  have  been  published,  Dr.  Morse's  is 
the  most  interesting.  It  contains  facts,  which  ought 
to  alarm  and  arouse  every  American,  who  feels  an  in- 
terest in  the  government  and  religion  of  his  country. 
He  says,  that  he  has  in  his  possession,  an  official, 
authenticated  list  of  names,  ages,  places  of  nativity, 
professions,  etc.,  of  the  officers  and  members  of  a  so- 
ciety of  Illuminati  in  Virginia.  This  association  con- 


56  MEMORIALS   OF 

sists  of  one  hundred  members,  principally  from  St, 
Domingo.  It  has  a  deputy  residing  at  the  mother 
society  in  France,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  informa- 
tion. It  was  instituted  in  1786.  He  states,  that  he 
has  evidence  of  a  similar  institution  in  New  York, 
out  of  which  have  sprung  fourteen  others,  scattered 
over  the  United  States.  These  societies  have  be- 
come not  less  alarming  in  America  than  in  Europe. 
Before  you  receive  this,  you  will  have  heard  that 
Fries  has  been  found  guilty  of  treason.  All  ac- 
counts from  Philadelphia  indicate  that  he  has  had 
an  indulgent  trial."  In  reference  to  a  community 
of  property,  as  discussed  by  one  of  his  friends,  Mr. 
Shaw  remarked:  "It  seems  to  me  impracticable, 
especially  in  the  present  demoralized  state  of  the 
world.  Is  not  selfish  interest  by  far  the  most  pow- 
erful motive  of  action?  Give  me  gold  enough,  and 
I  believe  that  I  could  have  power  over  the  greater 
part  of  mankind.  Bring  them  together  and  make 
their  property  a  common  stock,  and  how  long  would 
their  union  exist  ?  You  would  soon  have  Hobbs's 
state  of  nature,  perpetual  hostility,  all  against  all, 
till  each  had  his  own  restored  to  him." 

May  28.  Shaw,  to  the  same  friend,  concerning 
the  authors  they  had  recently  perused.  "  Southey's 
Miscellaneous  Poems  I  have  read  and  read  with  ad- 
miration. The  beautiful  simplicity  of  the  dialogues, 
the  rural  happiness  there  described,  really  charmed 
me.  His  epithets  are  not  taken  from  Gray  but 
Shakespeare.  Mallet  du  Paris's  History  of  the  De- 
struction of  Switzerland,  unfolds  a  tale,  "the  light- 
est word  of  which  would  harrow  up  your  soul." 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  57 

Every  American  ought  to  read  it  and  be  convinced, 
that  fell  spirits  reign  in  France.  Nancrede  has  sold 
many  thousands  of  them.  It  is  in  vain  to  surmise 
who  is  the  author  of  the  Pursuits  of  Literature. 
Matthias  and  Milus,  and  a  thousand  others  have 
been  named,  but  no  one  with  certainty.  Miss  Han- 
nah Adams,  authoress  of  the  View  of  Religion,  etc. 
has  published  a  Summary  History  of  New  England. 
The  advertisement,  which  you  saw  in  the  paper, 
respecting  Count  Tilly  and  Miss  Bingham,  I  have 
seen  and  heard  repeatedly.  This  Miss  Bingham  is 
the  daughter  of  the  Senator,  the  same  family  with 
whom  Johnson  was  connected." 

From  William  E.  Channing.  "  I  can  remember 
the  day,  when  I  gloried  in  the  moments  of  rapture, 
when  I  loved  to  shroud  myself  in  the  gloom  of 
melancholy.  You  may  remember  them  too.  But 
I  have  grown  wiser,  as  I  have  grown  older.  I  now 
wish  to  do  good  in  the  world.  i  I  love  a  divine,' 
says  the  good  Fenelon,  'who  preaches  to  save 
men's  souls  and  not  to  show  himself S  I  perfectly 
agree  with  Fenelon,  and  to  make  such  a  divine  as 
he  loves,  I  must  throw  away  those  ridiculous  exta- 
cies,  which  have  their  origin  in  vanity,  and  form 
myself  to  habits  of  piety  and  benevolence.  One 
reason  why  I  dislike  the  rapture  and  depression  of 
spirit,  which  we  used  to  encourage  at  college,  is 
probably  this,  I  find  none  to  share  them  with  me. 
Virtue  does  not  consist  in  feeling,  but  in  acting  from 
a  sense  of  duty.  I  thank  you  for  the  observations, 
which  you  made  in  your  last  letter  on  my  specula- 
tions upon  society." 
6* 


CHAPTER   III. 

Iklount  Vernon— Equality  of  Talents— Nullification  of  French  Trea- 
ties celebrated  —  Mrs.  Morton's  Works— De  la  Harpe  abjures 
Illuminatism — Yellow  Fever  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York — 
Assassination  of  the  French  Ministers— Slavery— Right  of  Search. 

1799,  June  1.  Richard  Peters,  Jr.,  of  Philadel- 
phia, to  Shaw  at  duincy.  "  That  the  spirit  of  op- 
position to  our  government,  which  manifests  itself 
by  such  dangerous  effects  in  Northampton,  should 
so  soon  be  crushed  and  the  leader  of  it  brought 
to  know  the  just  rigor  of  the  offended  law,  must 
afford  to  every  friend  of  this  country  the  highest 
gratification.  But,  unfortunately,  ignorant  and  de- 
luded as  the  men  are  to  whom  the  only  arguments 
which  bring  conviction  home  to  their  minds  of  the 
greatness  of  their  crime  are  corporal  punishments, 
it  follows,  that  when  the  law  has  spent  its  force, 
they  will  again  return  to  the  gloomy  paths  of  dis- 
content and  sink  into  their  original  turpitude.  In- 
deed the  suspension  of  the  punishment  they  deserve, 
has  blown  into  a  flame  the  not  entirely  extinguished 
embers  of  sedition,  and  they  yet  refuse  to  reverence 
their  best  of  parents,  the  best  of  governments.  It 
has  been  by  some  persons  made  a  subject  of  wonder, 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  59 

that  this  State  should  have  been  twice  the  seat  of 
that  parricide  insurrection.  To  me  it  appears  the 
natural  consequence  of  our  present  situation.  The 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  founded  on  the 
broad  basis  of  reason,  and  erected  with  an  almost 
divine  justice  through  all  its  parts,  the  policy  of  the 
Executive  government,  flowing  from  the  just  con- 
viction, that  the  measures  she  pursues  are  the  only 
ones,  which  can  ever  save  a  tottering  state  from 
sharing  in  the  miseries  of  Europe,  require  only  to 
be  understood,  to  obtain  respect.  But  without  edu- 
cation, without  some  improvement  by  learning  the 
natural  powers  of  man,  this  the  majority  of  our 
people  cannot  do.  It  is  well  known  that  the  foster- 
ing hand  of  our  State  government  has  not  yet  been 
extended  to  the  improvement  of  our  youth  in  learn- 
ing, and  hence  they  are  a  prey  to  the  arts  of  those 
designing  men  who  thus  gnaw  the  vitals  of  society. 
The  thick  cloud  which  has  so  long  hung  over  the 
political  hemisphere  of  Europe,  threatening  to  burst 
in  destructive  torrents  and  sweep  in  one  general  del- 
uge the  happiness  of  the  greater  part  of  mankind, 
seems  now  to  be  passing  off,  and  some  rays  of  hope 
shoot  forth.  I  am  now  at  Belmont,  my  father's 
country  retirement,  pursuing  my  studies  in  the 
law." 

• 

June  2.  William  E.  Channing  in  Richmond  to 
Shaw  at  Q,uincy.  "  I  assure  you  I  was  struck  with 
the  sublime  precepts  of  Christianity,  when  I  began 
the  study  of  the  Bible.  I  was  struck,  too,  with  ob- 
serving how  far  I  had  deviated  from  them.  I  found 
that  I  had  not  a  pure,  a  humble,  a  pious  or  a  char- 


60  MEMORIALS  OF 

itable  heart.  I  saw  how  Christian  chanty  differed 
from  what  I  used  to  call  benevolence.  Everything 
was  new  to  me.  I  thank  you  for  your  books.  I 
beg  you  to  write  early." 

June  8.  Thomas  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia  to 
Shaw  at  Q,uincy.  Speaking  of  a  recent  excursion 
to  the  South  :  "  I  was  accompanied  in  my  visit  to 
Mount  Vernon  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  and  Thomas. 
We  passed  two  nights  there  very  happily,  and  re- 
ceived from  the  General  and  Mrs.  Washington  a 
most  cordial  welcome.  Owing  to  the  excessive 
heat  of  the  weather,  I  could  not  make  the  usual 
tour,  with  which  the  General  often  favors  his  guests, 
that  is,  some  eight  or  ten  miles  walking  about  his 
grounds.  I  am  by  no  means  confident,  that  the 
prospects  from  the  heights  of  Q,uincy  would  suffer 
by  a  comparison  with  those  of  Mount  Vernon." 

June  16.  From  Shaw  at  duincy  to  Walter  in 
New  York.  "  The  many  favorable  elections 
throughout  the  United  States  which  have  lately 
taken  place,  should  gladden  the  heart  of  every 
one,  who  takes  any  interest  in  his  country's 
welfare.  With  so  extensive  a  territory  as  ours, 
it  would  be  but  an  Utopian  idea,  to  suppose  that 
all  of  its  population  would  be  of  one  heart  in 
the  support  of  government.  ^  There  always  have 
been,  and  always  will  be,  in  every  nation,  ambitious, 
artful  and  disappointed  men  to  delude,  and  others, 
weak  enough  to  be  deluded.  They  treat  the  Ad- 
ministration as  the  Caffrarians  of  Africa  do  their 
god  ;  worship  him  when  the  weather  is  fair,  but  be 
very  angry  with  him,  if  the  weather  be  unpropi- 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  61 

tions.  It  is  thought  that  General  Heath  would  not 
have  had  so  many  votes  for  Governor,  in  Massachu- 
setts, had  not  his  memoirs  been  made  the  subject 
of  several  strictures  in  the  newspapers,  which  were 
excessively  severe. 

"  Heat  not  a  furnace  for  your  foe  so  hot, 
That  it  do  singe  yourself."    We  may  outrun 
By  violent  swiftness,  that  which  we  run  at, 
And  lose  by  overrunning." 

On  Wednesday  I  went  in  company  with  the 
President  to  attend  the  funeral  of  our  late  Governor 
S  umner.  I  never  saw  before  such  a  concourse  of 
people.  I  have  riot  time  to  give  you  a  particular 
account  of  the  funeral.  I  will  enclose  a  description 
of  it  in  a  newspaper. 

"  He  was  mild  and  gentle,  and  the  elements  so  mixed  in  him 
That  nature  might  stand  up  and  say  to  all  the  world,  this  was  a 
man." 

June  16.  Thomas  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia  to 
Shaw  at  duincy.  "  I  have  thought  for  some  time 
past  that  politics  are  but  a  remote  branch  of  my 
trade  (law),  and  though  I  am  not  indifferent  on  any 
subject  particularly  interesting  to  the  public,  I  feel 
but  little  respecting  generality  of  political  news  and 
unascertained  reports.  The  news  from  Europe  of 
late  has  roused  me  in  a  degree,  because  it  is  of  a 
complexion  rather  different  from  my  expectation. 
I  did  think  that  the  French  armies  would  not  meet 
with  an  effectual  check  from  the  Imperial  troops. 
I  rejoice  to  find  the  fact  otherwise.  It  is  much  to 
be  wished,  that  this  reverse  of  fortune  on  the 
French  side  may  be  followed  up  by  others  of  equal 
magnitude  ;  for  my  opinion  coincides  with  yours, 


62  MEMORIALS   OF 

that  what  has  already  happened,  will  do  little  to- 
wards humbling  the  great  nation,  considering  that 
arts,  and  not  arms,  are  the  chief  weapons  of  war, 
which  they  wage  against  the  present  establishments 
of  the  world." 

June  27.  From  S.  Ewing,  in  the  same  city. 
Among  several  authors  he  had  recently  perused, 
"  Southey's  Poems  are  charming.  Let  Godwin  talk 
of  the  power  of  education.  Let  him  in  his  enthu- 
siasm pronounce  all  men  equal  at  their  birth.  Let 
him  say  that  Shakespeare  might  have  been  Hum- 
phrey Marshall,  and  Marshall,  Shakespeare.  I  shall 
not  believe  it.  The  Almighty  does  not  leave  every 
thing  to  chance  and  education.  He  affixes  the  seal 
of  genius  on  some  more  than  others.  He  endues 
them  with  a  heavenly  spark,  which,  however  smoth- 
ered by  the  barbarity  of  a  savage  world,  and  the 
tyranny  of  despotism,  will  burst  into  a  flame  that 
will  be  felt." 

July  23.  From  T.  B.  Adams  to  Shaw  at  duincy. 
"  People  here  are  very  angry  at  the  Bostonians  for 
impeding  commercial  intercourse  with  them  in  con- 
sequence of  the  rumors  of  the  yellow  fever,  as 
prevalent  in  this  city.  Coming  in  the  stage  this 
morning,  I  heard  some  Quakers  complain  of  its 
being  a  hasty  and  illiberal  measure.  I  judge  not 
between  you." 

This  month.  From  Shaw  to  William  E.  Chan- 
ning  in  Richmond,  Va.  "  If  to  do  were  as  easy  as 
to  know  what  were  good  to  do,  chapels  had  been 
churches,  and  poor  men's  cottages,  princes'  palaces, 
and  I  should  long  since  have  written  to  you,  the 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  63 

neglect  of  which  has  not  been  owing  to  a  want  of 
inclination,  but  absolute  necessity.  I  spend  my 
time  here,  much  to  my  advantage,  and,  of  course, 
much  more  to  my  enjoyment,  than  in  Philadelphia. 
Here  my  chief  company  are  books.  The  society 
of  these  is  delightful  to  me.  They  are  persons  of 
all  countries  and  of  all  ages,  distinguished  in  war, 
in  council  and  in  letters ;  easy  to  live  with,  always 
at  my  command.  They  come  at  my  call,  and  return 
when  I  desire  them.  They  are  never  out  of  hu- 
mor, and  they  answer  all  my  questions  with  readi- 
ness. Some  present,  in  review  before  me,  the  events 
of  the  past.  Others  reveal  the  secrets  of  nature. 
These  teach  me  how  to  live,  and  those  how  to  die. 
This  beautiful  account  of  my  books  is  quoted  from 
Petrarch.  The  Fourth  of  July  was  celebrated 
throughout  Massachusetts,  this  year,  with  uncom- 
mon enthusiasm. 

"No  one  can  be  more  pleased  with  Southey,  as  a 
poet,  than  I  am,  and  I  generally  consented  to  your 
observations ;  but  I  would  ask  you,  whether  you  ap- 
prove of  his  making  so  conspicuous  a  figure  of  Joan 
d'Arc  ?  Don't  you  think,  too,  in  his  miscellaneous 
poetry,  he  talks  excessively  about  the  religion  of 
nature,  preferring  it  to  revelation  ?  An  instance, 

'  Let  others  go  to  the  house  of  prayer, 
But  he  to  the  woodland  strays.' 

Mrs.  Morton  has  published  lately  a  poem,  which 
she  calls  the  Virtues  of  Society,  founded  on  the 
story  of  Harriet  Auckland,  and  intended  to  have 
made  one  of  the  books  of  her  Beacon  Hill.  It  is 
very  handsomely  dedicated  to  Mrs.  Adams." 


64  MEMORIALS   OF 

July  29.  T.  B.  Adams,  at  Rock  Hall,  German- 
town,  to  Shaw.  "  Among  other  pursuits,  I  am 
attempting  to  renew  my  acquaintance  with  school 
and  college  books.  I  learnt,  like  other  lads,  just  as 
much  Latin  and  Greek  as  I  was  bound  to,  and  no 
more.  We  have  few  classic  scholars  in  this  coun- 
try, and  their  number  will  not  increase,  until  the 
capacities  of  boys  in  our  grammar  schools  and  col- 
leges are  better  discriminated,  and  our  masters, 
tutors,  preceptors,  professors,  and  presidents  become 
scholars  themselves  in  the  dead  languages." 

August  2.  Shaw  at  Gluincy,  to  Walter  in  New 
York.  "  The  seventeenth1  of  July  was  celebrated 
in  New  England,  though  not  so  generally,  yet  with 
the  same  glow  of  patriotism,  as  the  fourth.  At 
Boston  it  was  celebrated  with  considerable  parade, 
suggested  and  conducted  entirely  by  the  young 
men.  Unfortunate  for  them,  it  happened  to  be 
Commencement  day.  They  met  however  at  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning  in  the  old  brick  church, 
where  T.  Paine2  delivered  an  oration  to  a  very 
crowded  audience,  which  is  a  superior  production. 
Here  you  are  not  only  pleased  with  '  fulmine 
Demosthenis,'  but  also  with  '  suavitate  Ciceronis.'  ' 

Aug.  William  E.  Channing  to  Shaw.  "  I  have 
lately  read  Wolstoncraft's  Posthumous  Works.  The 
letters  towards  the  end  of  the  first  volume  are  the 

1  Operation  of  the  law   of  the  United  States,   declaring   "  the 
treaties  heretofore  concluded  with  France  no  longer  obligatory  on 
them." 

2  Thomas  Paine,  who  afterwards  had  his  name  changed  to  Robert 
Treat  Paine,  being  that  of  his  father,  in  1803,  because  he  disliked 
to  have  it  the  same  as  that  of  the  infidel.     On  this  occasion  he 
remarked,  "  Now  I  have  a  Christian  name." 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  65 

best  I  ever  read.  They  are  superior  to  Sterne's.  I 
have  lately  read  Rousseau's  Eloisa.  He  is  the  only 
French  writer  I  have  ever  read,  who  knows  the 
way  to  the  heart.  I  would  recommend  to  you  a 
novel,  'Caleb  Williams,'  by  Godwin.  What  a  mel- 
ancholy reflection  is  it,  that  the  writers  I  have  now 
mentioned  were  all  deists.  Blest  with  the  powers 
of  intellect  and  fancy,  they  have  not  been  able  to 
discern  the  traces  of  a  God  in  his  holy  Scriptures, 
and  have  trodden  under  foot  the  only  treasure 
which  deserved  pursuit.  The  pride  of  human  na- 
ture has  been  the  source  of  their  error.  They 
could  not  *  become  as  little  children.'  They  could 
not  bear  the  yoke  of  Christ,  and  imbibe  the  meek 
and  humble  spirit  of  his  religion." 

Aug.  16.  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw 
at  Q,uincy.  "  Your  last  letter  mentioned  that  you 
had  just  finished  Davila's  History.  Did  you  ever 
read  the  discourses  on  this  author,  written  in  1789 
and  1790,  which  some  writers  of  that  day,  who 
were  displeased  with  the  political  doctrines  incul- 
cated by  them,  used  to  call  long-winded,  tedious 
sermons  in  favor  of  monarchy  and  aristocracy  ? 
I  well  remember  the  time,  when  the  public  were 
taught  and  persuaded  to  conceive  a  horror  and 
disgust  against  the  respectable  author  of  those 
harmless  papers.  Faction  existed  then,  as  now,  but 
it  had  not  then  been  organized.  The  inflammatory 
materials  were  concealed  beneath  the  cinders  ;  but 
the  breath  of  party  animosity,  aided  by  the  strong 
gale  of  French  Revolution,  could  alone  kindle  the 
flame,  which  shortly  after  burst  forth  with  unequal 
7 


66  MEMORIALS   OF 

violence  in  all  quarters  of  the  globe.  The  election- 
eering campaign  goes  on  briskly  here.  We  shall 
have  a  curious  publication  on  the  subject  of  Mr. 
Kean's  character  and  qualifications,  in  a  few  days,  if 
the  committee  appointed  to  draft  it  comply  with 
this  duty  in  the  course  of  the  week.  Some  inter- 
esting sketches  and  anecdotes  respecting  a  few  of 
his  friends  are  likewise  promised.  Old  tories  serve 
to  fill  the  foremost  ranks  of  each  side.  Tench 
Coxe  and  Levi  Hollingworth  may  be  balanced 
against  each  other.  There  will  be  very  warm 
work  at  the  time  of  election,  you  may  depend." 

Aug.  20.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw.  "  I  have 
the  Virtues  of  Society  for  you  ;  but  shall  reserve  it 
till  you  take  it  yourself.  Mrs.  Morton's1  Ouabi  was 
better  than  her  Beacon  Hill,  and  this  superior  to  her 
Virtues  of  Society.  She  was  made  by  nature  to 
tune  the  pastoral  pipe  and  call  the  flocks  together. 
To  such  scenes  she  would  be  best  suited.  I  doubt 
whether  Arcadia  would  have  supplied  many  more 
beautiful  shepherdesses.  When  she  leaves  Shen- 
stone  to  commune  with  Homer,  she  falters  in  her 
pace.  I  hear  that  new  discoveries  are  making  with 
respect  to  the  Illuminati.  De  la  Harpe,  one  of 
their  number,  whom  Barruel,  I  think,  mentions, 
was  thrown  into  prison,  in  the  time  of  Robespierre, 
and  his  dungeon  was  near  one  occupied  by  the 
Bishop  of  Bruix.  They  had  opportunities  of  con- 
versing together.  The  Bishop  so  completely  showed 
him  the  error  of  his  ways,  that  he  has  abjured  his 

1  Wife  to  Perez  Morton,  Attorney  General,  who  died  in  1837. 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  67 

former  conduct  and  written  a  work  of  great  merit 
and  dignity,  in  which  he  points  out  the  villany  of 
his  associates  and  the  existence  of  their  diabolical 
plots.  This  is  what  I  hear.  Whether  it  be  really 
true,  I  cannot  decide.  The  confession  of  one  of 
the  order  would  remove  doubts  from  many  minds 
as  to  its  existence.  From  Burke's  figures,  we  may 
suppose  that  he  picked  flowerets  with  Apollo  on 
Parnassus,  and  saw  the  lightning  and  the  storm 
from  '  summa  apex  Olympi,'  under  the  shield  of 
Minerva.  He  is  indeed  excellent  as  a  man,  a 
statesman,  an  orator,  and  a  Christian." 

Aug.  23.  T.  B.  Adams  at  Rock  Hall  to  Shaw  at 
Q,uincy.  As  to  yellow  fever  in  Philadelphia,  "  The 
deadly  pestilence  has  burst  forth  again  with  ten- 
fold violence,  and  every  part  of  the  city  is  more  or 
less  infected.  The  inhabitants  are  flying  in  every 
direction,  arid  not  a  room  is  left  unoccupied  at  Ger- 
mantown.  The  banks  and  other  public  offices  are 
soon  expected.  New  York,  we  understand,  is 
equally  afflicted  and  alarmed.  Another  mournful 
autumn  menaces  on  all  sides,  and  yet  the  weather 
seems  favorable,  in  a  high  degree,  to  health  in  the 
country. 

"  Barlow  is  deep  in  the  mysteries  of  modern 
philosophy.  Poets,  in  general,  do  not  succeed  as 
politicians.  They  are  worshipers  of  ideal  images, 
dealers  in  fiction,  builders  of  air  castles,  and  master 
workmen  only  in  the  edifices  of  Parnassus's  summit. 
These  things  belong  not  to  the  science  of  govern- 
ment. In  France,  indeed,  under  the  mockery  of 
republicanism,  the  Cheniers  and  Beaumarchaises 


68  MEMORIALS    OF 

have  debased  their  muses  to  the  vile  purpose  of 
blasphemy  and  atheism.  There,  poets  may  be  legis- 
lators, for  the  republic  exists  only  in  imagination." 

Aug.   26.     Shaw    to    William    E.    Channing  in 
Richmond.     Speaking  of  his  enjoyment  of  coun- 
try scenes,   he  remarked,  "  One  of  the  Henrys  of 
England,  while   surrounded  with  glory,  could  not 
refrain  from  exclaiming,  '  Methinks  it  were  a  happy 
life  to  be  no  better  than  a  lowly  swain.'     Some- 
times I  walk,  sometimes  I  ride,  and  sometimes  I  go 
a   gunning.      Robins   are    very    plenty.      O   cruel 
wretch  !    methinks   I  hear  you  exclaim  ;  how  can 
you  amuse  yourself  in  killing  those  little  innocents, 
that  never  did  or  ever  can  do  any  harm  ?    I  answer. 
I  kill  them  because   God,    at  the  creation,   made 
Adam  lord  over  them.     We  read  that  he  had  power 
over  the  beasts  of  the  field  and  fowls  of  the  air.     I 
take  it  the  right  is  hereditary.     I  know  of  nothing 
which  opposes  me,  but  humanity.     In  her  court,  I 
tremble  at   the  verdict.     You  know  that  I  am  a 
zealous  advocate  in  her  favor,  when  I  have  not  my 
gun  in  my  hand ;  and  in  my  speculative  hours,  per- 
fectly coinciding  with  the  sentiment  of  Shenstone, 
that  'one  should  not  destroy  an  insect,  nor  quarrel 
with  a  dog,  without  reason  sufficient  to  vindicate 
one  through  all  the  courts  of  morality.7     However,  I 
comfort  myself,  as  the  Pharisee  did  of  old,  with  the 
consciousness,   that   I  am  not  so  great  a  sinner  as 
many  of  my  acquaintances  have  been.     Walter  has 
obtained   his  degree  at  New  York,  and  returned  to 
Boston." 

Sept.    "  You  have  no  doubt  seen   Barbackxy's 


WILL    AM    SMITH    SHAW.  69 

letter,  stating  that  the  assassination  of  the  French 
ministers  at  Rastadt,  was  committed  by  the  order  of 
the  Directory  themselves.  The  base  deed,  con- 
nected with  their  consequent  conduct,  completes 
the  grand  climax  of  their  treachery  and  wicked- 
ness. I  wonder  if  the  annals  of  any  country  of 
any  age  can  produce,  in  the  space  of  seven  years, 
so  many  crimes,  and  of  so  black  a  die,  as  France 
has  the  last  seven  ?  In  one  short  summer,  we  saw 
her  monarchy,  her  nobility,  her  law,  her  church, 
her  revenue,  her  navy,  her  commerce,  her  arts,  her 
manufactures,  in  short,  her  every  thing  that  was 
good  and  great,  leveled  with  the  dust.  We  have 
seen  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  fertile  countries 
of  Europe,  polluted  with  human  blood.  The  exist- 
ence of  the  present  government  in  France  cannot, 
I  think,  remain  long.  Factions  are  again  multi- 
plied, societies  are  revived,  and  the  press  has  be- 
come free.  What  the  consequence  of  all  this  is  to 
be,  I  cannot  presume  to  know.  Still,  I  cannot  help 
suspecting,  that  monarchy  will  be  established  there, 
whenever  it  shall  be  agreed  which  party  shall  have 
the  honor  of  its  restoration.  Bonlay  (de  la  Meuthe), 
one  of  the  council  of  five  hundred,  has  lately  pub- 
lished a  pamphlet,  in  which  he  gives  you  a  view  of 
the  causes  of  the  English  revolution  by  Cromwell, 
and  of  its  failure.  The  object  of  this  work  seems 
to  be  to  show, France  the  necessity  of  restoring  a 
limited  monarchy.  This  Bonlay  is  at  the  head  of 
the  popular  party  in  France,  and  his  pamphlet  has 
been  sold  by  tens  of  thousands." 

Sept.  3.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  at  duincy. 
7* 


70  MEMORIALS    OF 

"I  have  been  reading  Burke's  appeal  to  the  old 
whigs.  There  is  so  much  dignity  in  the  man,  so 
much  of  the  oak  and  so  little  of  the  osier,  I  cannot 
but  admire  him.  Monday,  I  went  into  the  office. 
Blackstorie,  to  all  the  perspicuity  of  a  law  character, 
has  added  the  coloring  of  the  orator.  I  think  he 
used  to  write  poetry,  and  very  good  too.  Law  will 
not  admit  much  embellishment.  It  is  a  Gothic 
temple,  which  looks  with  contempt  on  fantastic 
flowers  and  Corinthian  gew-gaws.  Perhaps  I  shall 
get  along  tolerably  well.  The  road  is  beaten,  and 
at  least  I  can  follow  the  track." 

Probably  Sept.  From  Wm.  E.  Channing  in 
Richmond.  "  There  is  one  object  which  always 
depresses  me.  It  is  slavery.  This  circumstance 
would  prevent  me  from  ever  settling  in  Virginia. 
Language  cannot  express  my  detestation  of  it. 
Master  and  slave  !  Nature  never  made  such  a  dis- 
tinction, or  established  such  a  relation.  Man,  when 
forced  to  substitute  the  will  of  another  for  his  own, 
ceases  to  be  a  moral  agent  ;  his  title  to  the  name  of 
a  man  is  extinguished  ;  he  becomes  a  mere  machine 
in  the  hand  of  his  oppressor.  Should  you  desire  it, 
I  will  give  you  some  idea  of  the  situation  and  char- 
acter of  the  negroes  in  Virginia.  It  is  a  subject  so 
degrading  to  humanity,  that  I  cannot  dwell  on  it 
with  pleasure.  I  should  be  obliged  to  show  you 
every  vice,  heightened  by  every  meanness,  and 
added  to  every  misery.  The  influence  of  slavery 
on  the  whites,  is  almost  as  fatal  as  it  is  on  the 
blacks  themselves.  You  speak  of  Godwin  as  a 
great  rascal.  I  would  thank  you  for  a  more  partic- 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  71 

ular  account  of  his  character.  The  jacobins  here 
almost  idolize  him,  particularly  the  young  philoso- 
phers of  the  day.  I  should  like  to  show  them 
their  apostle  in  his  true  light.  It  seems  that  you 
cannot  love  Mrs.  Wolstoncraft.  I  do  not  mean  to 
fight  with  you  about  her.  Her  principles  respect- 
ing marriage,  would  prove  fatal  to  society,  if  they 
were  reduced  to  practice.  These  I  cannot  recom- 
mend. But  on  other  subjects  her  sentiments  are 
noble.  She  possessed  a  masculine  mind  ;  but,  in 
her  letters,  you  may  discover  a  heart  as  soft  and 
feeling  as  was  ever  placed  in  the  breast  of  a  woman. 
I  read  much  in  the  papers  about  Kotzebue.  Is  he 
greater  than  Schiller  ?  I  was  charmed  with  a  few 
extracts  from  his  * Italian  Father,'  which  I  met 
with  a  little  while  ago.  Tell  me  something  about 
him.  It  is  not  from  congeniality  of  soul,  I  confess; 
but  I  love  to  know  the  history,  the  eccentricities, 
and  even  the  misfortunes  of  genius." 

Sept.  8.  From  T.  B.  Adams,  at  Germantown,  Pa. 
"  I  have  been  very  little  from  the  spot  of  my  re- 
treat, except  to  Frankford,  where  I  last  week 
attended  court,  and  took  the  oath  as  a  practitioner 
therein.  I  hope  that  the  money  which  a  license  to 
practice  costs,  may  pay  good  interest,  but  the  pros- 
pect is  barren.  I  have  to  attend  another  court  this 
week,  in  the  case  of  a  debtor  who  intends  to  avail 
himself  of  the  cheating  insolvent  law  of  this  State, 
passed  last  year,  and  under  which  the  most  flagrant 
frauds  and  perjuries  are  committed.  The  mortality 
in  Philadelphia  increases  slowly.  For  many  days 
the  average  was  about  twenty,  and  has  never 


72  MEMORIALS   OF 

reached  thirty-one.  Rainy  weather  has  prevailed, 
and  we  hope  checked  the  disease  in  a  degree. 
Several  useful  men  have  fallen  within  a  short  time. 
If  you  can  obtain  for  me  copies  of  the  pieces  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  Paine,  I  will  thank  you.  I  think  highly 
of  his  poetic  talents,  and  wish  he  might  meet  as 
much  encouragement  as  his  genius  merits.  A  pro- 
fessional poet  cannot  live  here  by  his  trade,  and  un- 
luckily he  is  seldom  fit  for  any  other." 

Sept.  9.  From  J.  S.  Buckminster  at  Cambridge. 
"  I  write  you  now  in  behalf  of  Bean,  one  of  our 
class,  whom  you  probably  know.  He  wishes  to 
procure  a  chaplain's  commission  in  one  of  the  sev- 
enty-fours now  building.  He  desired  me  to  inquire 
of  you  what  steps  he  must  take  to  secure  his  object. 
I  have  been  to  see  Walter  in  Boston,  and  found  him 
drying  up  his  brains  over  Blackstone's  Commenta- 
ries. Now  for  politics.  They  necessarily  accom- 
pany a  letter  to  you.  Rejoice  with  me  in  McDon- 
ald's defeat,  in  the  discovery  of  Directorial  villany 
in  the  assassination  of  the  Deputies,  in  the  success 
of  Sir  Sidney  Smith,  etc.  Pray  for  the  British  fleet, 
for  a  better  state  of  the  nation,  and  for  the  abolish- 
ment of  anarchy.  Explain,  if  possible,  Captain 
Truxton's  resignation." 

Sept.  26.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  at  Q,uincy. 
"  Allston  delivered  a  fine  poem  on  Genius,  exhibi- 
tion day.  I  was  not  there,  but  they  say  that  it 
was  clear  originality,  clothed  in  the  most  luxuriant 
versification.  There  is  a  subscription  for  it,  but  he 
has  not  determined  as  to  its  publication.  John  S.  J. 
Gardiner,  the  minister,  intends  publishing  a  maga- 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  73 

zine,   not  openly,   but   really  in  the  dark.     There 
was  a  subscription  paper  for  it,  but  I  did  not  see  it. 
I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  excellent,  edited  by  such 
a  classical  scholar.     I  have  been  reading  Mrs.  Wol- 
stoncraft.     I  will   not  excuse  the  person  who  thus 
tramples  on  the  bands  which  hold  society  together. 
Her  platonic  affection   is  all   folly.     It  is  the  com- 
pletest  voluptuousness  possible.     When  we  consider 
how  she  cohabited  with  Imlay,  and  then  Godwin, 
taking  their  names,  without  being  married  to  either 
of  them,  we  can  allow  her  very  little  credit  for  her 
love  of  chastity,   order,  and  independence,  and  her 
wishes  for  the  rights  of  women.     In   Russell's  Ga- 
zette  of  to-day,  is  a  valuable  document,  in  which 
the   Court   of  Admiralty   in   England   have  deter- 
mined, that  belligerent  powers  have  a  right  to  search 
neutral   vessels  for  enemies  and  contraband  goods, 
whatever  may  be  the   instructions  of   their  com- 
manders, or  however  protected  by  convoy.     This  is 
in  direct  contradiction  to  the  orders  of  the  President, 
who  has,  I  think,  authorized  our  armed  ships  to  re- 
sist all  such  search.     I  return  you  Hamilton's  report. 
I  have  read  the  first   volume  of  his  Federalist,  and 
have   been   well   pleased.     There   is  much  of  the 
statesman  and   orator  displayed  in    that  excellent 
work.     It  is  a  very  handsome  defence  of  the  Con- 
stitution  of  the  United  States,  and  shows  that  he 
has  studied   politics  to  advantage   in  the  great  vol- 
umes of  history,  and  the  Commentaries  of  Locke, 
Puffendorf  and  Grotius." 

Sept.  29.  Shaw  to  Walter.     "We  are  obliged  to 
set  out  to-morrow  for  the  South  very  unexpectedly. 


74  ME  MORTALS    OF 

This  sudden  journey  will  deprive  me  of  much  an- 
ticipated pleasure  in  seeing  you  and  Buckminster  at 
Quincy.  Why  were  you  not  at  the  Exhibition  ? 
I  heard  much  of  Allston's  poem  before  I  received 
your  letter.  Brigadier  General  Wilkinson,  whose 
station  is  at  the  Natches,  was  present,  and  much  de- 
lighted with  the  poem.  Bisset  I  shall  leave  with 
Mr.  Greenleaf  for  you.  You  may  lend  it  to  Saw- 
yer and  then  Buckminster.  You  will  take  care  of 
it,  so  that  it  may  be  returned  to  me  in  the  Spring, 
safe  and  sound.  You  will  find  it  interesting  and 
instructive.  It  is  somewhat  in  the  manner  of  Bos- 
well's  Life  of  Johnson.  It  contains  a  judicious  se- 
lection of  anecdotes  and  beautiful  extracts  from  the 
works  of  an  excellent  man.  A  principal  object  of 
it  is,  to  show  that  Burke  was  consistent  through 
life.  This,  I  think,  is  clearly  done.  He  was  never 
one  of  the  many  who  oppose  a  system  to-day,  which 
they  supported  yesterday.  He  was  invariably  true 
and  constantly  just.  The  decision  of  the  British 
Admiralty  Court  does  not  clash  with  the  President's 
instructions.  These  were  given  to  our  public  armed 
ships,  (not  private  ones,)  immediately  after  the  Brit- 
ish Captain  Loring,  formerly  a  tory  on  Jamaica 
Plains,  went  on  board  of  the  Baltimore,  a  public 
armed  vessel,  Captain  Phillips,  and  impressed  a 
number  of  her  men.  On  this  occasion,  the  Presi- 
dent ordered,  that  no  such  procedure  be  allowed  by 
American  commanders ;  that  if  able  to  repel  force, 
to  do  it, — but  if  not,  to  surrender  their  ships  with 
the  crews.  Great  changes,  I  agree  with  you,  are 
taking  place  in  Europe.  France  will  be  humbled 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  75 

in  the  dust.  Her  philosophy  has  addressed  the  na- 
tions of  Europe,  as  sleep  did  Pal  in  urns.  Like  him, 
some  of  them  listened  and  slept  the  sleep  of  death. 
But  others  of  them  are  vigilant  and  active,  and  she 
must  fall  before  their  combined  power. 

"  Do  you  know  that  attempts  are  making  in  Eu- 
rope to  restore  the  Society  of  the  Jesuits  ?  It  is  a 
fact.  An  Abbe  Broglis  and  an  Italian  Count  are  at 
the  head  of  the  project.  They  are  likewise  en- 
couraged by  the  Emperor  of  Russia.  He  favors 
one  of  their  associations,  established  at  Mohillo. 
What  can  be  his  object,  is  hard  to  tell." 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Restoration  of  the  Jesuits— Envoys  to  France — Death  of  Washing- 
ton— Disposition  of  his  Estate — Portfolio — Bonaparte— Cause  of 
the  French  Revolution — Statue  for  Washington — Mungo  Park 
— Reasons  for  an  Array — City  of  Washington. 

1799.  Oct.  3.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  at  Trenton,1 
N.  J.  "  I  went  to  Russell  and  got  Canning's  speech. 
I  like  it  much  ;  but  it  has  little  of  Chatham,  and  still 
less  of  Burke.  He  talks  well  on  the  miseries  of  the 
conquered  countries,  and  displays  a  picture,  sketched 
by  the  pencil  of  truth,  which  is  really  interesting. 
His  style  of  eloquence  is  forcible,  but  harsh  arid 
rugged.  He  is,  however,  excellent  as  a  young  man, 
and  will,  no  doubt,  be  an  ornament  to  the  House. 
Samuel  Dexter  thinks  highly  of  him. 

"  The  re-establishment  of  the  Jesuits  is  indeed 
extraordinary.  I  don't  want  the  existence  of  this 
Society.  It  is,  in  principle,  as  bad  as  the  Illuminati. 
You  know  that  Russell,  in  his  Modern  Europe, 
says,  it  was  evident  from  their  books  and  papers, 
that  they  intended  the  destruction  of  all  (Protestant) 
institutions.  I  have  been  reading  Wieland's  Oberon, 

1  The  Executive  authorities  of  the  United  States  appear  to  have 
convened  here  because  of  the  yellow  fever  at  Philadelphia. 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  77 

translated  by  Southey.    The  tale  is  extremely  inter- 
esting, and  the  descriptions  most  luxuriant." 

Oct.  23.  T.  B.  Adams,  at  Gerrnaritown,  Penn.,  to 
Shaw  at  Trenton,  N.  J.  "  I  have  been  anxious,  for 
some  days,  on  account  of  reports,  which  have  been 
circulated  with  great  zeal  and  industry,  of  a  serious 
misunderstanding  in  the  cabinet  at  Trenton.  The 
story  is,  that  the  Secretary  of  State  opposed,  with 
all  his  influence,  the  departure  of  the  envoys  for 
France  ;  that  his  opposition  was  seconded  by  a  de- 
claration of  the  British  Minister,  that  a  fresh  attempt 
at  negotiation  by  our  government,  would  be  con- 
sidered by  the  Coalesced  Powers,  as  an  act  of  hos- 
tility against  them,  since  they  had  come  to  a  resolu- 
tion to  force  a  declaration  from  every  neutral  Power, 
for  or  against  them  ;  that  the  President  is  said  to 
have  replied  with  characteristic  energy  to  this  com- 
munication ;  that  the  Secretary  persevered  in  his 
disaffection,  which  produced  a  warm  explanation, 
in  the  course  of  which  the  President  declared  he 
would  resign,  rather  than  submit  to  be  influenced 
by  the  menaces  of  any  other  Power  on  earth,  as  to 
the  subject  of  our  external  connections,  or  inter- 
course ;  and  that  the  envoys,  of  course,  are  to  go 
Since  the  triumph  of  jacobinism  in  this  State,  therv 
is  a  manifest  scheme  set  on  foot,  of  irritating  the 
public  mind  against  Great  Britain.  I  see  the  drift 
of  it  in  part,  but  I  should  wish  to  know  what  fresh 
provocation  has  excited  .the  animosity,  which  thus 
discovers  itself.  McKean,  Governor  of  the  State, 
Jefferson,  President  of  the  United  States,  is  the 
next  object  of  that  party." 
8 


78  MEMORIALS    OF 

Oct.  31.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  at  Trenton, 
N.  J.  "  We  yesterday  celebrated  your  uncle's  birth 
with  every  demonstration  of  joy.  Governor  Gill 
reviewed  the  troops  on  the  Common.  He  gave  a 
dinner  to  all  the  officers.  I  don't  know  whether  I 
told  you  of  Count  Rumford's  daughter  being  here. 
Her  father  is  to  come  next  Spring.  He  is  much 
esteemed  in  London  as  a  character  of  singular  in- 
dustry and  minute  philosophical  accuracy,  joined 
with  great  benevolence.  He  is  attending  entirely 
to  his  new  Institution,  which  seems  to  be  very  suc- 
cessful. We  are  in  anxious  expectation  of  news 
from  Europe.  Things  of  great  pith  are  in  the 
wind.  We  do  not  like  the  conduct  of  the  English 
towards  many  of  our  vessels.  It  is  infamous  and 
unjustifiable. 

"  Our  envoys  are  to  sail  from  Newport  soon.  We 
are  anxious  to  know  how  they  will  be  received  at 
the  Court  of  St.  Cloud.  I  admire  the  discourses  of 
Davila.  They  are  rich  in  political  truths." 

Nov.  1.  Samuel  Ewing  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw. 
"  How  pleasing  to  return  after  a  long  absence  to 
your  home,  the  scene  of  former  joys  ;  to  return  to 
it  in  peace  and  safety,  while  your  ears  are  no  more 
stunned  by  the  solemn  and  incessant  rattling  of  the 
hearse,  nor  your  sensibility  wounded  by  the  groans 
of  your  dying  neighbors  !  " 

Nov.  3.  William  E.  Channing  in  Richmond,  Va., 
to  Shaw  in  Trenton.  "  I  want  to  talk  with  you  a 
moment  on  the  political  world.  If  I  mistake  not, 
the  present  period  is  the  most  eventful  and  impor- 
tant which  has  offered  itself  to  our  view  during 


WILLIAM   SMITH    SHAW.  79 

the  Revolution  in  France.  In  Europe  the  fate  of 
nations  is  suspended  in  the  balance,  and  America, 
though  so  remote  from  the  scene  of  blood  and  con- 
fusion, is  most  deeply  interested  in  the  decision  of 
the  contest.  The  eyes  of  all  parties  are  now  fixed 
on  the  President.  What  can  he  do  ?  The  federal- 
ists, in  all  parts  of  the  country,  seem  opposed  to  a 
renewal  of  negotiation  with  France.  The  jacobins 
are  more  clamorous  than  ever  about  his  supineness 
in  forming  a  solid  peace  with  that  government. 
One  paper  says  that  the  Envoys  will  not  proceed 
to  Europe.  Another  says  that  they  are  on  the  point 
of  embarking.  I  hardly  know  what  to  think  ;  but 
I  rely  implicitly  on  the  firmness  and  independence 
of  the  President.  I  consider  him  as  elevated  above 
the  clamors  of  faction,  and  superior  to  the  narrow 
views  of  party.  He  is  placed  in  that  peculiar  situ- 
ation, that  no  measure  he  can  adopt  will  be  popular. 
The  only  object  he  can  propose  to  himself  is  the 
good  of  his  country,  and  I  doubt  not  he  will  pursue 
it  with  undeviating  perseverance.  I  have  ever  con- 
sidered it  the  interest  of  America  to  be  at  peace 
with  all  nations.  I  lay  it  down  as  a  principle,  that 
by  war  we  can  gain  nothing,  and  are  sure  of  losing 
something.  I  think  federalism  has  reached  its 
highest  point  in  Virginia,  and  unless  federalists 
awake,  it  must  decline.  How  is  our  prospect  from 
abroad  ?  I  have  sometimes  thought  it  probable, 
that  the  kings  of  Europe,  after  restoring  Louis, 
would  form  a  coalition  to  exterminate  republicanism. 
They  must  establish  monarchy  every  where,  or  else 
they  cannot  keep  it  any  where." 


80  MEMORIALS   OF 

Nov.  4.  Shaw  to  Walter  in  Boston.  "  I  thank 
you  for  your  accurate  account  of  Wieland's  Oberon. 
It  is  as  curious  a  fact  as  the  history  of  literature 
presents,  that  a  nation,  known  as  the  Germans  have 
been  for  productions  of  a  phlegmatic  cast,  should, 
all  at  once,  astonish  the  world  by  works  of  fancy 
and  feeling. 

"  I  expect  to  go  to  Philadelphia  to-morrow  or 
next  day,  whence  you  shall  hear  from  me  soon." 

Nov.  18.  Walter  to  Shaw  in  Philadelphia.  "  I 
have  received  a  letter  from  you,  inclosing  the  Pres- 
ident's speech.  It  is  here  considered  as  very  mode- 
rate, unwilling  to  hurt  any  party,  desirous  to  pass 
over  the  injuries  committed  on  our  commerce  by 
the  privateers  of  Great  Britain,  and  disposed  to  con- 
ciliate the  good  opinion  of  every  Power. 

"  I  hope  we  shall  continue  to  support  our  charac- 
ter with  firmness.  I  would  not  stop  a  single  stitch 
in  the  making  of  a  sail,  or  relax  any  portion  of 
strength,  that  drives  the  spike  into  the  side  of  a 
vessel.  We  are  only  secure  in  power.  We  know 
not  what  events  may  take  place  in  Europe.  Let 
us  grow  in  strength,  and  meet  with  boldness  any 
emergency.  Perhaps  Europe  is  as  critically  situ- 
ated now  as  ever.  Our  envoys  may  find  in  France 
rulers  and  principles  they  did  not  expect,  and  diffi- 
culties they  did  not  imagine." 

Nov.  21.  Joseph  Story  at  Marblehead  to  Shaw. 
"  Mr.  Sewali  has  obligingly  offered  to  convey  this 
to  you,  and  I  readily  accept  the  opportunity  of 
apologizing  for  an  unintentional  neglect.  You 
were  so  kind,  on  commencement  day,  as  to  give 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  81 

me  an  invitation  to  dine  with  you  at  Quincy  the 
next  day,  and  with  sensibility  of  the  favor,  I  ac- 
cepted it.  But  unfortunately  for  me,  my  health, 
which  previously  had  been  very  precarious,  was  so 
much  injured  by  the  exhilarations  of  that  time,  that 
I  was  incapable,  on  the  next  day,  even  of  attending 
the  meeting  of  the  P.  B.  K.  Your  unexpected  de- 
parture for  Philadelphia,  was  the  reason  of  my  not 
offering  this  apology  in  person.  Accept  my  warm 
wishes  for  your  welfare,  and  believe,  that  I  shall  be 
happy  to  see  you, 

•'  Where'er  I  roam,  whatever  realm  to  see." 

Nov.  22.  Shaw  in  Philadelphia  to  Walter  in  Bos- 
ton. "I  thank  you  for  inclosing  me  (William  E.) 
Channing's  letter  and  Madam  Genlis's  Tales  of  the 
Castle,  which  I  borrowed  of  John  Pickering  while 
at  college,  and  which  afforded  me  pleasure  and  in- 
struction. 

"  You  must  have  read  Bisset's  Life  of  Burke  long 
before  this.  There  is  one  anecdote  which  I  do  not 
recollect  in  it,  as  follows.  Burke  approved  the  rev- 
olution in  Poland.  He  admired  it,  because  '  every 
thing  was  kept  in  its  place  and  order,  but  in  that 
place  and  order  every  thing  was  bettered.'  The 
Poles  have  struck  off  medals  of  the  late  unfor- 
tunate Poniatowski ;  his  Majesty  sent  one  to  Mr. 
Burke,  with  a  letter  in  his  own  hand-writing,  as  a 
token  of  his  respect  for  Burke's  talents  and  patri- 
otism. 

11 1  want  you  to  purchase  for  me  the  Speculator, 
the  object  of  which  is  German  literature.  They 
8* 


82  MEMORIALS   OF 

seem  to  bring  forward,  in  Boston,  no  other  play* 
than  German  this  winter." 

From  Walter.  "  I  have  lately  read  Kotzebue's 
play  of  Pizarro.  There  are  sentiments  in  it  which 
would  not  dishonor  Shakespeare.  Buckminster  has 
read  your  Burke,  and  is  much  pleased  with  it. 

"  We  have  been  sixty  days  without  news  from 
Europe.  Every  coming  wave  may  waft  to  our 
shores  something  highly  momentous,  perhaps  deci- 
sive of  the  fate  of  Europe. 

"I  have  always  had  an  idea,  that  the  interior  of 
Africa  is  worth  investigation.  The  African  Society 
in  London  have  gone  far  towards  this  highly  lauda- 
ble design.  I  doubt  whether  distant  colonies  would 
be  of  much  advantage  to  the  United  States." 

December  1.  William  E.  Ohanning  to  Shaw  in 
Philadelphia.  "  I  have  been  reading  Southey  for 
these  two  hours,  and  my  feelings  have  been  so 
much  agitated,  that  I  am  quite  exhausted.  I  have 
thought,  of  late,  that  my  tears  were  dried  up.  But 
Southey,  like  Moses,  touched  the  rock  with  the 
rod  of  his  genius,  and  the  streams  gushed  forth  as 
he  struck.  He  is  an  interesting  poet ;  and  this  is 
the  greatest  encomium  which  can  be  passed  on 
a  writer  who  addresses  himself  to  the  fancy  and 
heart. 

"  I  am  now  studying  divinity  harder  than  ever. 
Thanks  to  the  God  who  made  me,  I  have  chosen 
the  only  profession  which  could  make  me  happy. 
By  studying  the  Scriptures  themselves,  I  am  trying 
to  discover  the  will  of  God,  and  the  uncorrupted 
doctrines  which  our  Saviour  taught.  I  once  called 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  83 

myself  a  Christian.  Till  lately  I  knew  not  the 
meaning  of  the  word.  I  entreat  you,  Shaw,  not  to 
absorb  yourself  so  much  in  political  pursuits  as  to 
lose  sight  of  the  most  important  of  all  your  con- 
cerns. Are  you  willing  to  receive  salvation  not  as 
due  to  your  own  merits,  but  as  a  free  and  unde- 
served gift  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ  ?  {  Whoso- 
ever shall  not  humble  himself  as  this  little  child, 
shall  not  enter  the  kingdom  of  God.' 

11 1  think  England,  at  present,  more  formidable  to 
this  country  than  France.  Her  depredations  on 
our  commerce,  according  to  the  papers,  are  greater 
than  ever.  Poor  France  !  I  do  not  wholly  despair 
of  her.  I  hope  that  no  government  will  be  estab- 
lished there,  which  is  not  founded  on  the  only 
basis  of  rightful  authority,  the  consent  of  the 
people." 

Dec.  2.  Wm.  Smith,  merchant  of  Boston,  to  Shaw. 
"  I  congratulate  you  on  your  return  to  your  winter 
quarters  in  the  city.  Some  of  our  politicians  have 
been  very  uneasy  at  the  departure  of  the  envoys. 
In  their  opinion  and  in  the  opinion  of  their  Oracle, 
it  was  highly  improper,  lest  it  irritate  the  combined 
Powers  against  us.  But  in  the  opinion  of  all 
rational  Americans,  the  departure  of  the  envoys  is 
highly  proper  and  well  timed.  The  election  of 
McKean  is  an  unfortunate  event  for  the  Union,  and 
more  particularly  for  Pennsylvania.  The  last 
arrivals  from  Europe  bring  accounts  of  many  bloody 
battles.  Before  this,  I  presume,  the  Speaker  and 
Clerk  are  elected,  and  the  President  has  made  his 


84  MEMORIALS  OF 

communications.  We  are  all  anxious  to  know  the 
contents  of  the  budget." 

From  Walter  in  Boston.  "In  Hamburgh  they 
are  publishing  a  Geography  of  America,  by  a  Ger- 
man literary  character.1  The  budget  reached 
Pennsylvania,  when  I  heard  about  it.  Thus  you 
see,  they  think  something  of  us,  poor,  miserable 
beings !  I  wish  very  much  for  Burke  to  Bedford. 
Wakefield,  who  wrote  an  answer  to  it,  says,  that 
throughout  the  whole  there  are  marks  of  won- 
derful genius  and  extraordinary  learning,  and  that 
his  observations  on  the  French's  converting  leaden 
coffins  into  bullets  for  their  soldiers  are  exceedingly 
eloquent.  What  an  elegant  thing  must  his  life  be, 
as  promised  by  Dr.  Lawrence,  who  was  his  execu- 
tor and  had  charge  of  all  his  papers." 

Dec.  4.  From  Artemas  Sawyer2  in  Boston. 
11  Our  'change  politicians  are  waiting  with  silent 
anxiety  for  the  sentiments  of  the  President.  They 
expect  he  will  come  forward  in  a  decided  tone,  re- 
specting the  late  depredations  of  the  English,  and 
also  the  late  envoys  to  France.  Both  are  subjects 
of  much  speculation  here.  The  latter,  in  particu- 
lar, has  excited  many  observations  among  all  parties, 
and  many  illiberal  reflections  upon  the  President  for 
his  appointment  of  them.  Now  is  the  time,  when 
every  citizen  of  America  should  strive  to  support 
the  dignity  of  our  government." 

Dec.  8.    Shaw  to  Walter,  a  law  student  in  Mr. 


1  Ebeling. 

2  A  classmate  of  Mr.  Shaw.     Settled  in  Chilicothe,  Ohio,  as  a 
Lawyer,  and  died  1815. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  85 

Dexter's  office,  Boston.  u  Several  things  have 
occurred  which  have  lost  their  attraction,  because  I 
could  not  write  to  you  about  them  in  season.  Last 
Monday  the  Federal  Government  assembled  in  this 
city.  The  members  were  uncommonly  punctual, 
and  both  Houses  formed  a  quorum  the  same  day. 
Massachusetts  is  honored  by  having  a  Speaker  cho- 
sen from  her  Representatives.  Mr.  Sedgwick  will 
preside  with  ability,  and,  no  doubt,  will  honor  his 
constituents.  The  speech  of  the  President  you  will 
see,  before  my  letter  reaches  you.  Still  I  send  you 
one,  as  printed  by  the  House.  It  is  impossible,  at 
present,  to  ascertain  the  number  of  federalists  in 
the  present  Congress.  I  suspect,  that,  however  they 
may  have  a  decided  majority,  they  will  not  be  so 
many  as  our  sarigiune  expectations  would  lead  us 
to  believe.  Ever  since  the  adoption  of  the  consti- 
tution, most  of  the  laws  which  have  been  enacted, 
have  passed  by  small  majorities.  Perhaps  this  is 
likely  to  be  so.  The  session,  I  think,  will  be  one 
of  much  interest.  I  have  lately  perused  the  Trav- 
els of  the  Duke  Liancourt,  through  the  United 
States  in  1795-7.  It  contains  many  curious  anec- 
dotes, and  is  as  accurate  as  we  have  reason  to  expect 
from  a  foreigner.  Dr.  Priestly  has  lately  published 
1  Letters  to  the  inhabitants  of  Northumberland  and 
its  neighborhood,'  which  may  be  considered  as  polit- 
ical and  rather  curious  than  otherwise.  The  main 
object  of  the  pamphlet  appears  to  be  a  vindication  of 
the  author  against  the  aspersions  of  Peter  Porcu- 
pine." 

Dec.  18.    T.  B.  Johnson  of  Georgetown,  Va.  to 


86  MEMORIALS   OF 

Shaw  in  Philadelphia.  "It  is  with  the  deepest  sor- 
row, I  announce  to  you  the  the  irremediable  loss 
sustained  by  this  country  in  the  death  of  General 
Washington.  He  departed  this  life  about  eleven 
o'clock  last  Saturday  evening.  On  the  preceding 
night  he  was  attacked  with  a  violent  inflammatory 
affection  in  the  throat,  which,  in  less  than  four  and 
twenty  hours,  terminated  his  existence." 

Dec.,  latter  part.  Shaw  to  Walter  in  Boston. 
11  For  a  few  days  past  I  have  been  much  interested 
in  attending  a  trial  in  the  Supreme  Court.  It  was 
Dr.  Rush  vs.  Gobbet,  for  many  libellous  publications 
against  him  in  1797.  The  case  has  been  delayed 
till  the  present  time.  Very  able  counsel  was  em- 
ployed by  both  parties.  The  jury  brought  in  dam- 
ages for  the  plaintiff,  for  five  thousand  dollars. 

"For  the  death  of  Washington,  every  countenance 
is  sad;  a  general  gloom  will  be  cast  over  our  coun- 
try. The  Senate  and  House  have  agreed  to  wear 
mourning  for  the  rest  of  the  session.  General  Lee, 
from  Virginia,  is  appointed  by  the  House  to  deliver 
an  eulogium  on  Thursday  next.  The  Senate  wait 
on  the  President  to-morrow,  with  an  excellent  ad- 
dress for  the  occasion,  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Dexter. 
All  the  churches,  to-day,  were  hung  in  black  ;  were 
very  much  crowded,  most  of  the  worshipers  had 
badges  of  mourning,  and  many  were  dressed  in 
black.  Congress  contemplate  to  have  a  monument 
erected  to  Washington  in  the  federal  city." 

The  General  Government  having,  on  the  2d, 
passed  resolves  of  condolence  with  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton, for  the  recent  decease  of  her  husband,  and  of 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  87 

a  wish,  that  she  would  consent  to  the  interment  of 
his  remains  in  the  capital,  such  documents  were 
transmitted  to  her  by  Mr.  Shaw.  Her  answer, 
through  him,  to  President  Adams,  follows  : 

"Mount  Vernon,  December  31,  1799. 

"  Sir, — While  I  feel  with  keenest  anguish  the  late 
dispensation  of  Divine  Providence,  I  cannot  be  in- 
sensible to  the  mournful  tributes  of  respect  and  ven- 
eration, which  are  paid  to  the  memory  of  rny  dear 
deceased  husband ;  and,  as  his  best  services,  and 
most  anxious  wishes,  were  always  devoted  to  the 
welfare  and  happiness  of  his  country,  to  know  that 
they  were  truly  appreciated  and  gratefully  remem- 
bered, affords  no  inconsiderable  consolation. 

"Taught  by  the  great  example,  which  I  have  so 
long  had  before  me,  never  to  oppose  my  private 
wishes  to  the  public  will,  I  must  consent  to  the  re- 
quest made  by  Congress,  which  you  have  had  the 
goodness  to  transmit  to  me  ;  and,  in  doing  this,  I 
need  not,  I  cannot  say,  what  a  sacrifice  of  individ- 
ual feeling  I  make  to  a  sense  of  public  duty. 

"  With  grateful  acknowledgments,  and  unfeigned 
thanks  for  the  personal  respect,   and  evidences  of 
condolence  expressed  by  Congress,  and  yourself, 
"  I  remain  very  respectfully,  Sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

"  MARTHA  WASHINGTON.." 

1800,  Jan.  2.  From  Walter.  "We  have,  indeed, 
to  lament  the  death  of  Washington.  His  memory 
is  blessed  and  immortal.  Many  epithets  of  applause 


88  MEMORIALS   OF 

bestowed  on  him  have  been  extravagant.  He 
would  neither  desire  nor  approve  them. 

"  I  rejoice  that  Porcupine  has  at  last  met  his  due. 
He  has  too  long  trampled  on  the  customs  of  decen- 
cy, the  beauties  of  delicacy,  and  the  laws  of  our 
country.  I  rejoice  that  he  is  legally  punished  by 
the  government,  which  he  has  openly  insulted  and 
vilified. 

"General  Lee  will  give  you,  no  doubt,  a  very  fine 
oration,  for  I  am  told  he  is  a  complete  rhetorician. 
I  shall  expect  a  copy,  for  which  you  may  expect  a 
copy  of  Paine'sat  Nevvburyport,  or  of  Minot's  here. 
We  had  intended  to  have  asked  Ames,  but  we  had 
no  idea  of  going  to  Dedham,  and  giving  the  inhab- 
itants a  triumph  in  saying,  that  we  were  indebted 
to  them  for  an  orator.  At  Cambridge,  on  the  22d 
of  February,  they  intend  to  celebrate  him  (Wash- 
ington) by  a  poem  from  Allston,  and  an  oration  from 
Watson,  of  Marblehead,  with  prayers  and  observa- 
tions from  Willardand  Tappan.  Indeed,  the  people 
of  America  are  determined  to  pay  him  every  possi- 
ble respect,  which  is  justly  his  due.  The  Legisla- 
tures of  Virginia,  Pennsylvania  and  Kentucky  pre- 
sent a  front  too  hostile  to  be  played  with.  They 
propagate  doctrines,  which  are  to  be  resisted,  not 
by  reason,  but  by  force." 

Jan.  5.  Shaw  in  Philadelphia  to  Walter  in  Boston. 
"  I  enclose  Porcupine's  paper  of  this  day.  It  con- 
tains Harper's  speech  on  Griswold's  motion,  respect- 
ing interference,  etc.  I  think  it  has  considerable 
merit.  Logan  does  not  seem  to  like  it  very  well, 
that  Congress  should  take  any  notice  of  his  conduct. 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  89 

Like  others  of  his  party,  he  has  published  an  address 
to  vindicate  his  conduct.  I  supposed,  before  this 
time,  Congress  would  have  been  loaded  with  peti- 
tions for  repealing  the  alien  and  sedition  bills.  But 
I  don't  know  that  a  single  one  has  been  laid  before 
them.  The  more  I  consider  those  bills,  the  more 
am  I  convinced  of  their  propriety  and  necessity. 
How  can  a  government  like  ours,  exist  long  without 
some  restraint  on  the  licentiousness  of  the  press  ? " 
About  Jan.  15.  Shaw  in  Philadelphia  to  W.  E. 
Channing  in  Richmond,  Va.  "  A  journey  to  Mount 
Vernon  has  prevented  me  from  having  the  pleasure 
of  writing  to  you  till  the  present  date.  Tuesday 
was  a  week  since  I  returned.  The  object  of  my 
journey,  and  the  badness  of  the  roads,  made  it  very 
unpleasant.  I  found  Mrs.  Washington,  as  you  may 
well  suppose,  very  much  afflicted.  We  all,  as  lov- 
ers of  our  country  and  of  virtue,  deeply  lament  the 
loss  of  the  General;  but  she,  loving  her  country  and 
virtue,  equally  with  us,  was  connected  with  him  by 
far  stronger  endearments.  He  was  her  husband, 
the  partner  of  her  joys  and  the  soother  of  her  sor- 
rows. The  General  has  kept  a  journal,  containing 
a  minute  detail  of  every  circumstance  in  his  public 
life  for  many  years.  These  will  undoubtedly  con- 
tain sketches  of  the  American  Revolution.  The 
public  prints  are  inaccurate,  as  they  are  in  many 
other  things  which  they  say  of  him,  when  they 
assert,  that  he  has  left  a  professed  history.  His 
journal,  with  all  his  papers,  his  library,  containing 
about  fifteen  hundred  volumes,  Mount  Vernon,  with 
four  hundred  acres  of  land,  he  has  left  to  his  nephew, 
9 


90  MEMORIALS  OF 

Judge  Bushrod  Washington.  He  has  left  a  thou- 
sand pounds  to  a  literary  institution  at  Alexandria, 
and  his  fifty  Potomac  shares  to  a  similar  institution 
to  be  founded  at  the  Federal  city.  All  his  negroes 
are  to  be  made  free  after  Mrs.  Washington's  decease. 

"  The  reverse  in  favor  of  the  French  armies  is 
very  different  from  what  we  all  hoped.  The  for- 
tune of  war  seems  everywhere  to  have  turned 
against  the  Allied  Powers.  The  want  of  success, 
however,  will  not  seem  so  surprising,  when  we  con- 
sider the  jealousies  and  rivalries  which  must  subsist 
among  them.  No  event  was  ever  the  object  of 
more  speculation  than  the  French  Revolution.  But 
speculations  of  this  sort  have  proved  as  visionary 
as  they  have  been  numerous." 

Jan.  16.  Shaw  to  Walter  in  Boston.  "I  send 
you  the  prospectus,  and  the  first  number  of  the 
Portfolio,  edited  by  Joseph  Dennie,  in  Philadelphia. 
The  work,  I  believe,  will  be  conducted  with  ability. 
I  wish  you  to  obtain  subscribers  for  him  in  Boston. 
Collect  the  advance  money  and  send  it  on.  The 
series  of  letters,  giving  an  account  of  a  tour  through 
Silesia,  is  from  the  pen  of  J.  Q,.  Adams.  It  will 
be  extended,  and  contain  much  curious  anecdote 
and  interesting  information.  The  translation  of 
Juvenal's  Thirteenth  Satire,  is  by  the  same  hand. 
Its  beauties  are  conspicuous  to  all  eyes.  Large  con- 
tributions from  the  same  pen  will  be  occasionally 
furnished.  Supposing  that  you  would  like  to  take 
the  Portfolio,  I  have  ordered  it  to  be  forwarded  to 
you,  and  advanced  the  price.  If  you  consent,  you 
can  repay  me.  I  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  success 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  91 

of  this  periodical,  not  only  as  a  friend  to  the  propri- 
etors, but  also  as  an  American.  I  ardently  wish 
to  live  in  those  days,  when  my  country,  by  her 
munificence  to  learned  men,  by  a  true  estimation  of 
their  productions,  and  by  the  cultivation  of  the  fine 
arts,  shall  rescue  herself  from  the  imputation  under 
which  she  now  very  justly  lies  ;  when  America, 
from  the  number  of  her  illustrious  citizens  and  her 
literary  fame,  may  be  called  the  eye  of  the  world, 
as  the  ancient  city  of  Athens  was  the  eye  of 
Greece. 

"  The  convention  between  us  and  France  is  still 
before  the  Senate.  It  is  quite  problematical  how 
it  will  be  decided.  I  do  believe,  that  the  conse- 
quences of  rejecting  it,  would  be  unfavorable  to  the 
country.  Soon  after  the  convention  appeared  in 
England,  Mr.  King  called  on  Lord  Grenville,  and 
had  a  long  conversation  about  its  merits.  The  lat- 
ter told  the  former,  that  he  perceived  nothing  in  it, 
which  ran  counter  to  the  treaty  between  them  and 
us.  As  to  the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  since 
the  firm  and  noble  conduct  of  the  majority  in  the 
Senate,  attempts  have  been  made  to  abolish  so 
necessary  a  branch.  A  proposition  has  been  intro- 
duced into  the  House  to  exclude  all  English  deci- 
sions from  their  courts  of  law.  This  measure  is  evi- 
dently designed  as  a  thrust  at  the  profession  of  law- 
yers." 

Jan.  25.  Thomas  White  of  Philadelphia  to  Shaw 
in  the  same  city.  "  Mighty  effects  have  been  at- 
tributed to  the  frequent  use  of  the  word,  Citoyen, 
as  though  it  had  set  all  Europe  in  confusion.  No. 


92  MEMORIALS   OF 

If  you  look  into  the  causes  of  that  Revolution,  you 
will  trace  it  to  the  general  depravity  which  had 
pervaded  all  ranks  of  people  in  that  devoted  coun- 
try. We  behold  in  it  the  effects  of  the  indefatigable 
labor  of  philosophers  for  a  long  time  past.  They, 
at  length,  succeeded  in  giving  loose  to  the  passions 
of  men,  so  that  they  could  be  restrained  neither  by 
reason  nor  law.  We  perceive  the  justice  of  God 
in  making  such  promoters  of  anarchy,  the  first  vic- 
tims of  its  fury.  The  term,  Citoyen,  in  holding 
out  to  men  the  fascinations  of  equal  rank,  no  doubt 
contributed  to  advance  the  Revolutionary  mania, 
but  we  must  look  to  deeper  causes  for  its  origin." 

Jan.  29.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Philadel- 
phia. "  You  have  before  this  heard  of  the  wonder- 
ful Revolution  in  France.  Wonderful  it  is  indeed, 
that  after  so  many  struggles  for  the  shadow  of  lib- 
erty, they  have  now  lost  even  this  poor  consolation. 
The  democrats  here  are  much  incensed  against 
Bonaparte.  They  consider  him  as  the  destroyer  of 
liberty,  the  violator  of  the  constitution,  and  a  new 
Cromwell  or  Caesar.  But  we  hardly  know  what 
will  be  the  issue.  We  anxiously  look  for  peace, 
and  regard  it  as  a  favorable  circumstance,  that  our 
envoys  must  have  arrived  there  soon  after  the 
mighty  change.  But  I  do  not  think  that  peace  is 
the  orbit  of  motion  for  Bonaparte.  I  have  read 
Priestley,  but  I  see  nothing  very  extraordinary.  I 
wish  he  would  confine  himself  to  chemistry.  In 
this  country,  he  might  have  lived  with  comfort. 
On  his  farm  in  Northumberland,  he  might  have  ex- 
tended the  boundaries  of  science.  Roscoe,  I  hear, 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  93 

is  to  write  the  life  of  Leo  X.  He  was  to  have  be- 
gun some  time  since,  but  the  troubles  in  Europe 
prevented  him  from  getting  the  papers  from  Italy, 
which  Lord  Hervey  and  other  noblemen  had  agreed 
to  use  their  influence  to  procure.  Mungo  Park's 
Travels  in  Africa  have  excited  much  curiosity.  Our 
legislature  have  agreed  to  erect  a  statue  to  Wash- 
ington on  the  lower  floor  of  the  new  state-house. 
It  will  be  magnificent.  We  are  debating  what  to 
do  with  the  old  state-house.  It  seems  to  be  in- 
tended, that  it  shall  be  pulled  down  and  the  space 
left  open  for  a  square." 

Feb.  11.  Shaw  in  Philadelphia  to  Wm.  E.  Chan- 
ning  in  Richmond,  Va.  "  In  your  last  letter  you 
ask,  of  what  use  is  our  standing  army,  or  will  it  be, 
except  to  consume  in  idleness,  what  the  hand  of 
industry  has  raised  ?  The  question  has  a  retrospec- 
tive view,  and  involves  another  still  more  important. 
It  is  this,  whether,  at  the  time  provision  was  made 
for  raising  the  army,  the  situation  of  this  country 
did  not  warrant  Congress  in  having  it  done.  What 
was  then  the  situation  of  our  country  ?  '  The 
Revolutionary  harpies  of  France,  like  ravenous 
birds  of  prey,  fluttered  over  our  heads.'  I  need  not 
repeat  to  you,  the  base  indignities  which  our  min- 
isters received,  the  refusal  to  acknowledge  the 
sovereignty  of  the  United  States,  the  unwarranted 
demands  made  of  us,  the  insults  which  our  flag 
received  on  the  ocean.  Had  not  America  risen  up 
and  proved  to  France  that  we  were  not  the  passive 
sheep  which  they  thought  us  to  be,  and  that  we 
were  determined  to  live  free  or  die,  we  should  not 
9* 


94  MEMORIALS  OF 

have  had  the  least  shadow  of  any  pretensions  to 
honor  or  independence.  What  effect  had  the  de- 
cided policy  of  our  government  on  that  of  France? 
The  door  was  immediately  opened  for  peace.  This 
.change  of  conduct  on  her  part,  can  be  attributed 
to  no  other  cause  than  our  system  of  defence,  of 
which  the  army  was  a  part.  Were  the  army  dis- 
banded, the  arguments  for  such  a  step  would  go 
for  subverting  our  whole  system  of  defence. 

"This  situation,  in  the  present  convulsed  state  of 
the  world,  would  be  no  enviable  one.  May  we  not 
suspect,  that  France  waves  the  olive  branch,  to 
cause  the  disbanding  of  our  army  and  laying  up  of 
our  ships,  so  that  she  may,  with  greater  ease,  invade 
our  country  and  subjugate  its  inhabitants?  Still 
the  question  remains,  of  what  use  is  our  army  or 
can  it  be  ?  It  prevents,  in  my  opinion,  a  much 
greater  one's  being  raised  and  much  more  expensive 
resources  being  called  forth.  It  has  shown,  and 
will  continue  to  show  France,  our  determination  to 
resist  her  encroachments.  She  would  never  have 
•been  deterred  from  hostilities  against  this  country 
by  an  army  on  paper.  If  there  be  danger,  say  you, 
can  any  reliance  be  placed  on  this  army  ?  My  par- 
tiality for  my  own  countrymen  would  compel  me, 
had  I  no  other  motive,  to  answer  in  the  affirmative. 
They  are  American  citizens,  for  no  others  are 
allowed  to  be  enlisted  ;  and  although,  in  general, 
they  have  little  or  no  property,  they  are  attached  to 
their  country  by  strong  ties.  Here  are  entombed 
the  bones  of  their  ancestors.  Here  are  their  wives, 
their  children,  their  fire-sides.  I  see  no  cause  to 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  95 

suspect  their  patriotism  and  fidelity.  Democrats 
object  to  the  army,  not  because  they  think  it  an 
impolitic  measure,  but  because  it  is  a  measure  by 
the  misrepresentation  of  which  weak  men  may  be 
deluded.  They  think  it  will  be  employed  by  the 
government  to  execute  their  just  laws  ;  to  quell 
insurrections,  excited  by  artful  statements.  This, 
you  may  depend,  is  one  grand  cause  for  the  unpop- 
ularity of  the  army. 

«  No  man  e'er  felt  the  halter  draw, 
With  good  opinion  of  the  law.' 

"  You  say,  that  the  people  of  Virginia  think  their 
liberties  endangered  by  this  army.  Would  they 
think  so,  had  they  not  been  told  it  by  designing 
demagogues  ?  Is  it  possible  that  seven  or  eight 
millions  of  people  can  be  thus  imperiled  from  a 
force  of  twelve  thousand  men  ?  Are  not  the  liber- 
erties  of  the  President,  Senate  and  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives equally  endangered  ?  Every  commis- 
sion issued  by  the  President,  is  virtually  with  the 
same  terms,  as  were  expressed  by  one  of  the  most 
humane  and  wisest  of  the  Roman  Emperors. 
1  Take  this  sword,'  said  Trajan,  when  he  presented 
it  as  the  badge  of  office  to  Saburanus,  whom  he 
had  appointed  prasfect  of  the  Pretorian  guards, — 
'  remember  it  is  your  duty  to  use  it  for  my  defence, 
while  I  rule  well ;  if  I  govern  ill,  your  duty  to  your 
country,  beyond  your  duty  to  me,  will  oblige  you, 
as  a  good  citizen  and  an  honest  man,  to  use  it  for 
my  destruction.'" 

Feb.  14.  Shaw  in  Philadelphia  to  Walter  in 
Boston.  "Curious  to  know  everything  written, 


96  MEMORIALS  OF 

respecting  a  man  whose  character  I  venerate,  and 
whose  writings  have  afforded  me  so  much  instruc- 
tion and  entertainment  as  Burke's,  I  have  been  in- 
duced to  read  a  third  life  of  him,  by  Charles  McCor- 
mick.  The  author  is  a  violent  anti-ministerialist, 
and  pours  out  the  most  unjust  invectives  against 
many  traits  in  Burke's  character,  particularly  in 
the  latter  part  of  his  life.  Still,  his  work  exhibits 
talent  and  affords  amusement.  He  relates  the  fol- 
lowing anecdote.  Some  unknown  person  sent  him 
these  lines, 

1  Oft  have  we  wondered,  that  on  Irish  ground 
No  pois'nous  reptile  has  e'er  yet  been  found, 
Reveal' d  the  secret  stands  of  nature's  work, 
She  saved  her  venom — to  create  a  Burke.' 

It  happened,  that  Burke  was  shaving  when  he  re- 
ceived this  epigram.  He  was  so  irritated,  that  he 
ran  into  the  street  with  the  lather  on  his  face,  and 
was  not  able  to  complete  the  operation  till  two 
hours  after.  Mungo  Park's  Travels  in  Africa  are  to 
be  reprinted  in  this  city.  I  wish  you  would  send 
out  to  London  by  the  first  vessel  and  engage  there, 
on  my  account,  two  periodicals,  the  Anti-Jacobin 
and  British  Mercury.  The  latter  is  in  French  and 
English.  It  is  conducted  entirely  by  Mallet  du 
Pan.  We  are  all  very  impatient  here  to  see  Ames's 
oration.1  The  expectations  are  very  high,  I  trust 
we  shall  be  highly  gratified.  Noah  Webster  has 
published  ten  letters  in  answer  to  Priestley's  last 
pamphlets." 

Feb.  19.  T.  B.  Johnson  in   Georgetown,  Va.,  to 

1  On  the  death  of  Washington. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  97 

Shaw  in  Philadelphia.  "  Yesterday  I  heard  from 
our  mutual  friend,  Walter,  who,  if  I  may  judge 
from  the  spirit  of  his  letter,  appears  to  retain  his 
proverbial  vivacity  and  good  humor.  You  had,  it 
seems,  informed  him  of  your  journey  to  Mount  Ver- 
non,  and  of  the  renewal  of  our  acquaintance.  I  am 
inclined  to  think,  that  you  were  not  pleased  with 
the  Federal  city.  This  does  not  surprise  me.  The 
customs  and  manners  of  the  people,  southward  of 
Pennsylvania,  differ  materially  from  those  of  New 
England.  Few  travelers  from  that  direction  can 
be  induced  to  tarry  long  with  us.  Still  our  claim, 
in  regard  to  climate,  is  allowed.  This  spot  has 
nothing  to  boast  of,  except  beauty  of  situation  and 
temperature  of  air.  It  will,  however,  in  process  of 
time,  (perhaps  not  far  distant,)  be  ranked  among 
our  most  respectable  cities.  Its  advancement,  so 
soon  as  confidence  shall  be  established,  which  will 
be  on  removing  the  seat  of  government  hither, 
must  be  rapid.  You  will,  in  all  probability,  on 
your  arrival,  have  occasion  to  regret  the  loss  of  in- 
tercourse with  your  friends  of  Philadelphia.  I  will 
do  what  I  can  to  render  your  situation  pleasant." 


CHAPTER   V. 

Mrs.  Washington— French.  Success — Eulogies  on  Washington — 
Bankrupt  Law — Davila — Regent  of  Portugal— Kotzebue — Duel 
— Army— Dr.  Parr— Sir  William  Jones— Canvass  for  Votes- 
Congratulation  of  the  First  Congress  in  "  the  Federal  City." 

1800,  Feb.  25.  Prom  Mr.  Shaw's  mother,  in  At- 
kinson, N.  H.,  to  him.  "  Yesterday  we  assembled 
to  express  our  sorrow  at  the  departure  of  Human- 
ity's Friend,  Columbia's  Patriot  arid  Father.  After 
all  that  has  been  poured  forth  by  the  orator  and  the 
eulogist,  I  presume  that  a  simple  detail  of  facts,  and 
a  faithful  narrative  of  his  useful  life,  will  be  the 
highest  eulogium.  We  should  rob  this  great  man 
of  a  most  valuable  wreath,  if  we  did  not  follow 
him  into  domestic  life,  and,  among  an  assemblage 
of  virtues,  distinguish  the  exact  economy,  the  nice 
order,  the  regular  conduct,  which  marked  his  daily 
course.  I  have  been  told  that,  in  all  his  multiplicity 
of  affairs,  he  was  but  three  days  behind  his  business 
when  he  died.  It  may  be  truly  said  of  Washing- 
ton, that  he  went  but  'little  slower  than  the  sun.' 
While  we  review  the  lives  of  those  illustrious  ac- 
tors who  have  dignified  our  nature,  and  meditate  on 
those  traits  which  are  estimable,  may  habits  of  vir- 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  99 

tue  be  formed  in  us,  and  bring  forth  fruit,  some  fifty, 
some  an  hundred  fold.  Your  late  journey  to  Mount 
Vernon  must  have  been  attended  with  sad  feelings, 
peculiar  to  your  errand.  The  conduct  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  as  to  the  tomb,  showed  the  deep  afflic- 
tion of  her  heart.  Her  answer  to  the  President's 
letter,  of  which  you  had  the  honor  to  be  the  bearer, 
is  an  expression  of  female  excellence,  and  shows, 
that  though  grief  may  oppress,  yet  it  does  not  sink 
the  mind.  The  assurance  of  your  dear  aunt,  that 
you  are  free  from  vice,  that  no  habit  has  polluted 
and  debased  your  mind,  is  inexpressibly  grateful  to 
my  soul.  God  be  praised,  that  at  an  age  when  un- 
balanced passions  have  their  greatest  sway,  and 
temptations  appear  in  their  most  fascinating  garb, 
you  are  preserved  from  their  contaminating  influ- 
ence. Useful  life,  progressive  virtue, — should  be 
your  motto.  Riches  and  honors  are  but  secondary 
considerations  to  such  attainments. 

"  With  trembling  solicitude,  I  perceive  the  time 
fast  approaching,  when  you  will  need  to  choose  a 
profession  for  your  support  in  life.  It  is  an  impor- 
tant affair.  If  you  have  selected  one,  I  wish  that 
you  would  direct  your  studies  to  that  point.  It  is 
best  for  all  to  have  some  goal,  to  which  they  may 
devote  their  chief  energies.  Otherwise,  they  will 
gain  no  prize.  I  hope  that,  in  your  present  style 
of  living,  you  will  contract  no  habits,  as  to  food, 
dress,  etc.,  which  yon  may  not  easily  lay  aside  with- 
out mortification  and  regret.  By  prudence  in  your 
affairs,  you  may  obtain  a  situation,  which  will  con- 
tinue to  afford  you  bread  in  due  season.  Thus  pur- 


100  MEMORIALS  OF 

suing  the  paths  of  rectitude,  you  will  have  a  fond 
mother's  blessing,  and  secure  to  her  a  source  of  the 
highest  happiness." 

Feb.  27.  Shaw  in  Philadelphia  to  Walter  in  Bos- 
ton. "  I  enclose  you  a  newspaper  of  Virginia, 
edited  by  one  Lyon,  to  show  the  violence  of  party 
spirit  there.  Did  you  know  that  Virginia,  during 
the  Revolution,  passed  an  act  authorizing  the  pay- 
ment of  money  into  its  treasury,  which  was  due 
from  individuals  of  this  country  to  creditors  in 
Great  Britain?  May  not  this  account  for  all  their 
opposition  to  the  English  treaty,  and  for  the  preva- 
lence of  certain  principles  in  that  State  ?  " 

Artemas  Sawyer  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Philadel- 
phia. "  What  will  you  say  now  of  Europe?  What 
an  important  change  has  taken  place  in  France. 
Bonaparte,  whom  his  enemies  hoped  and  friends 
feared,  was  butchered  by  the  Arabs,  drowned  in  the 
Red  sea,  or  led  in  fetters  to  the  Tower  of  London, 
has  passed  the  Rubicon,  and  become  the  chief  of  a 
mighty  empire.  This  event  must  produce  an  alter- 
ation in  the  affairs  of  other  nations.  France  has 
attained  such  an  ascendency,  that  a  single  discord- 
ant note,  struck  in  her  own  territories,  will  vibrate 
through  Europe. 

"  The  fever  of  politics  has,  for  a  few  weeks,  in 
some  degree  subsided.  The  fact  is,  that  the  spirit 
of  parties  is  regulated,  for  the  most  part,  by  the 
contentions  in  Congress,  where,  as  to  the  House, 
there  has  been  less  acrimony  than  for  some  years 
past.  As  for  literature,  we  have  a  literary  magazine 
published  here,  called  the  Columbian  Pho3nix,  edited 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHA^V.  lf)f 


by  a  blind  man.  The  first  number  has  been  issued. 
The  next  may  have  more  animation  through  the 
aid  of  Antony  Pasquin." 

March  3.  Shaw  in  Philadelphia  to  Wm.  E.  Chan- 
ning  in  Richmond.  "  Of  the  many  eulogies  and  ora- 
tions, which  have  been  occasioned  by  the  death  of 
Washington,  I  have  selected  a  few  of  the  most  merit, 
and  inclose  them  for  your  perusal  and  acceptance. 
Consider  the  obligation  not  on  your  part  in  my  pre- 
senting, but  on  mine  in  your  receiving  them.  On 
Saturday,  the  22d  of  February,  the  citizens  of  Phil- 
adelphia, like  Achilles  and  his  brave  companions, 
over  the  tomb  of  Patroclus,  exerted  themselves  in 
what  manner  they  should,  to  excel  each  other  in 
manifesting  their  regret  for  the  death  of  Washing- 
ton, their  love  for  his  virtues,  veneration  for  his  wis- 
dom, and  gratitude  for  his  services.  Of  the  four 
orations,  delivered  in  this  city,  I  heard  but  one,  by 
Major  Jackson,  which  is  truly  classical  and  merito- 
rious, and  which  I  send  you.  The  simple  story  of 
Washington's  life  is  his  best  eulogy." 

March  4.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Phila- 
delphia. "  We  wander  over  old  scenes,  and  regret 
the  absence  of  friends  who  made  us  happy.  The 
young  oaks  are  stripped  of  their  branches,  before 
they  are  old.  We  are  robbed  of  our  friends,  just  as 
we  begin  to  feel  their  value  and  excellence.  Many 
of  our  hopes  are  disappointed  before  they  are  real- 
ized. Philosophy  would  tell  us,  that  we  must  re- 
press our  gladness,  and  never  expect  good,  but  eviL 
I  do  not  like  this  flinty  doctrine.  In  winter  we 
may  properly  anticipate  the  zephyrs  of  spring,  the 
10 


MEMORIALS   OF 

fruits  of  summer,  and  the  harvests  of  autumn. 
Come,  then,  ye  ministers  of  happiness,  bring  roses 
and  balmy  winds,  make  the  prospect  pleasant  and 
the  reality  blessed. 

"  The  exhibition  for  Washington  at  Cambridge 
was  handsome.  Allston  was  thrilling  and  delightful, 
full  of  thoughts,  fancy,  and  words  of  inspiration. 
I  should  have  thought  that  he  had  lived  on  Helicon 
water  and  Apollo's  food.  Dr.  Tappan  exceeded  his 
common  excellence.  He  spoke  eloquently,  as  a 
venerable  seer  of  religion.  Allston  will  not  suffer 
his  to  be  published,  and  my  acquaintance  with  him 
is  not  sufficient  to  procure  a  copy. 

"  As  to  the  negotiations  of  the  French  with  our 
envoys,  I  believe  Bonaparte  would  like  to  take  this 
country  under  his  kind  keeping,  and,  bear-like,  hug 
us  to  death.  Sieyes  is  also  an  old  fox.  Reynard 
disliked  the  grapes,  because  he  could  not  get  them." 

March  5.  "  I  send  you  two  eulogies  of  whose 
merits  you  may  judge.  I  am  absolutely  tired  of 
the  business,  and  almost  of  the  subject.  Washing- 
ton deserves  the  best  of  eulogists,  but  the  puny 
scribblers  of  the  day  rather  debase  than  exalt  his 
fair  fame.  We  all  admire  Truxton's  conduct,  but 
not  the  style  of  his  communication.  I  wish  mod- 
esty and  bravery  were  more  frequently  united  in 
great  characters.  Strong,  I  believe,  will  be  elected 
on  the  whole,  but  legislative  interference  l  is  much 
disliked  and  openly  reprobated." 

March  11.  "  I  am  far  from  being  indifferent  to  the 

1  Choice  of  Governor  by  the  Legislature. 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  103 

conduct  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  Hope  and 
fear  are  both  alive  ;  but  I  sometimes  dread  the 
effects  of  that  spirit  of  opposition,  which  is  so  evi- 
dent in  their  councils,  and  which  appears  to  increase 
instead  of  diminishing.  They  are  important  States. 
There  must  be  something  <  rotten  in  Denmark,' 
which  deliberately  and  publicly  disannuls  acts  of 
the  sovereignty  of  the  United  States.  France  could 
not  wish  for  a  better  theatre  to  act  her  revolutionary 
tragedy  upon  than  these  two  States.  Lyon's  papers 
evince  the  luxuriousness  of  that  soil  for  the  produc- 
tion of  poisonous  weeds.  We  have  long  been  with- 
out news  from  Europe,  but  earnestly  expect  good 
intelligence  soon.  The  new  constitution,  which 
the  Dictator  is  forming,  excites  our  highest  curi- 
osity." 

March  17.  Shaw  in  Philadelphia  to  Walter  in 
Boston.  "  No  doubt  France  would  be  pleased  to 
take  our  country  under  their  bear-like  protection. 
So  would  every  nation  of  Europe.  They  all  look 
at  us  with  an  eye  of  jealousy.  Whatever  treaties 
we  have  made  with  them,  will  be  observed  no 
longer  than  they  comport  with  their  interest.  I 
have  spent  my  time  here,  this  winter,  very  agreea- 
bly. We  have  all  the  grades  of  intellect,  and  all 
the  variation  of  our  species.  I  dislike  and  avoid 
large  parties.  I  do  not  remember  from  whom  Mr. 
Pickering  quoted  his  expression  about  the  tiger. 
The  first  I  recollect  to  have  seen  applied  in  this 
way,  was  by  Mr.  John  Q,.  Adams,  in  a  series  of 
papers  which  he  published  in  the  Centinel,  un- 
der the  signature  of  Columbus.  I  hope  that  before 


104  MEMORIALS    OF 

this  time,  you  have  spoken  to  Nichols  for  the  peri- 
odical publications,  which  I  mentioned  in  a  former 
letter.  I  have  read  the  second  number  of  the  Rush 
Light.1  It  is  written  with  great  talent,  but  is  full 
of  calumny  against  one  of  the  best  men  in  the 
world.  I  send  you  a  very  pretty  effusion  in  imita- 
tion of  Ossian,  by  Mr.  Linn,  our  minister.  I  have 
been  able  to  make  a  complete  collection  of  Burke's 
pamphlets,  this  winter,  which  I  prize  more  than 
their  weight  in  gold." 

March  26.  Dr.  Thomas  Welsh  of  Boston  to  Mr, 
Shaw  in  Philadelphia.  "  I  received  a  line  yesterday 
from  John  Russell,  as  follows.  Mr.  Russell,  at  the 
earnest  desire  of  the  first  and  most  respectable  char- 
acters in  Boston,  has  it  in  contemplation  to  publish, 
in  one  or  two  handsome  octavo  volumes,  the  Politi- 
cal Discourses  on  Davila,  and,  in  fact,  he  has  pledged 
himself  to  the  public  in  that  form  ;  but  he  is  fear- 
ful, from  the  manner  in  which  they  were  originally 
published  and  since  republished,  that  errors  may 
have  crept  into  them.  He  has  also  understood, 
that  the  author2  has  yet  numbers,  which  have  never 
appeared.  He,  therefore,  at  the  same  time  that  he 
respectfully  solicits  the  author's  indulgence  of  the 
numbers  not  printed,  requests  to  be  directed  in 
what  manner  the  press  can  be  corrected  in  both  in- 
stances, so  that  the  execution  may  be  worthy  of  its 
author,  both  as  it  respects  the  correctness  of  those 
parts  which  appeared  in  Mr.  Fen  no's  paper,  and  also 
that  portion  of  the  work,  which  may  not  have  ap- 
peared in  print." 

1  By  Porcupine  against  Dr.  Rush.        8  President  John  Adams. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  105 

Mr.  Shaw  replied,  April  1,  that  there  would  be 
a  compliance  with  Mr.  Russell's  proposition. 

April  10.  Shaw  to  Walter.  "The  Bankrupt  bill 
has  now  become  a  law.  It  is  thought  that  this  law 
will  prevent  private  frauds  in  the  secretion  of  prop- 
erty, check  the  rage  for  speculation,  and  add  to  our 
national  character  in  pecuniary  concerns.  An  at- 
tempt has  been  made  every  Congress,  since  1789, 
for  such  an  enactment,  though  ineffectual  till  the 
present.  It  did  once  pass  the  House,  but  failed  in 
the  Senate.  Such  a  law  is  supposed  to  have  been 
one  means  of  raising  Great  Britain  to  her  great 
maritime  power  and  pre-eminent  political  station  in 
the  world." 

William  Smith,  merchant  of  Boston,  to  Shaw  in 
Philadelphia.  "Our  envoys  (to  France)  have  been 
unfortunate  in  the  delays  they  have  met  with  in 
their  passage,  but  it  has  given  time  for  a  new  con- 
stitution to  become  organized.  The  correspondence 
with  the  British,  in  this  time,  will  not,  I  presume, 
be  unfavorable  to  their  mission.  The  papers  will 
announce  to  you  the  state  of  the  elections  the  week 
past.  It  was  very  different  in  this  town  from 
what  I  expected.  Every  exertion  was  made  by  the 
jacobins.  Many  honest  federalists  voted  on  their 
side  from  various  causes.  It  is  not  yet  certain,  that 
Mr.  Gerry  will  be  elected.  The  returns  from  many 
towns,  in  which  Mr.  Strong  has  a  majority,  are 
not  yet  received.  It  was  urged  at  the  Green  Dragon 
in  favor  of  Mr.  G.  that  he  was  a  friend  of  the  Pres- 
ident, and  his  appointment  to  Prance  was  a  proof 
that  the  President  had  a  high  opinion  of  him.  Mr. 
10* 


106  MEMORIALS    OF 

Gill,  I  presume,  is  elected  Lt.  Governor.  It  is  very 
uncertain  whether  he  will  live  many  days." 

April  15.  Shaw  to  Walter  in  Boston.  "  I  am 
happy  to  hear  that  Gillies  intends  to  continue  his 
History  of  Greece.  Although  he  appears  to  be  no 
great  researcher  into  politics,  let  Mathias  say  what 
he  will,  I  do  believe  it  to  be  the  most  accurate  his- 
tory of  Greece  in  the  English  language.  I  have 
seen  '  The  Shade  of  Alexander  Pope  '  by  Mathias. 
I  think  it  worthy  of  the  author  of  the  Pursuits  of 
Literature.  This  is  saying  much,  for  I  have  read 
few  productions  equal  to  this  work.  The  poem 
was  occasioned  by  the  residence  of  Grattan,  ex-rep- 
resentative for  the  city  of  Dublin,  at  Twickenham 
in  Nov.  1798.  There  is  much  classical  criticism  in 
this  last,  as  in  the  former  production  from  the  same 
pen.  They  are  reprinting  it  in  this  city.  I  had 
just  finished,  before  I  began  this  letter,  the  third 
.part  of  the  intercepted  letters  from  the  French  army 
in  Egypt,  sent  to  the  President  from  London.  In 
,a  letter  from  Kleber,  now  commander  in  chief,  we 
learn  the  forlorn  situation  in  which  Bonaparte  left 
them. 

"  Since  I  wrote  you  last,  I  have  seen  Calender's 
*  Prospect  before  us.'  It  is  calculated  rather  to  in- 
jure the  party,  for  which  he  is  a  pretended  advocate, 
than  to  lessen  the  federal  interest." 

April  17.  Walter  to  Shaw  in  Philadelphia.  "I 
believe  the  Bankrupt  law  gives  very  general  satis- 
faction. 

"  Bonaparte  has  ordered  the  standards  of  the  Re- 
public to  be  hung  in  black  in  honor  of  Washington. 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  107 

It  is  said  by  the  papers,  that  Erskine  and  Fox  pro- 
nounced very  eloquent  eulogiums  on  Washington 
in  the  House  of  Commons. 

"  I  saw  Allston  yesterday.  He  is  very  well,  and 
was  going  to  Hingham.  He  informed  me,  that 
Wm.  (E.  Channing)  was  tired  of  living  in  Virginia, 
and  intended  soon  to  return.  I  also  saw  Buckmin- 
ster,  who  inquired  about  you." 

April  20.  Wm.  Smith  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Phil- 
adelphia. "  Our  late  elections  have  turned  out  more 
favorable  than  was  expected.  The  choice  of  Mr. 
Strong  is  almost  certain. 

"The  influenza,  which  has  visited  your  city  this 
winter,  has  reached  Boston." 

April  22.  Of  this  date  is  the  copy  of  a  curious 
communication,  preserved  by  Mr.  Shaw,  from  the 
Prince  Regent  of  Portugal,  addressed  to  the  United 
States.  After  giving  a  long  list  of  his  titles,  the 
language  of  the  Prince  follows.  "The  good  cor- 
respondence and  perfect  harmony,  which  happily 
subsist  between  me  and  you,  persuade  me,  that  it 
will  be  very  grateful  to  you  to  learn,  that  God  has 
this  day  given  me  another  daughter,  by  the  happy 
delivery  of  the  most  serene  Princess,  Dona  Carlota, 
my  dear  and  beloved  spouse.  This  event,  as  fortu- 
nate as  it  is  agreeable,  I  lose  no  time  in  communi- 
cating to  you,  under  the  persuasion,  that  you  will 
not  fail  to  join  with  me  in  its  celebration  with  that 
affectionate  sincerity  and  candor,  which  corresponds 
with  the  very  singular  esteem  and  regard,  in  which 
I  hold  you.  United  States  of  America,  may  our 
Lord  have  you  under  his  holy  keeping." 


108  MEMORIALS  OF 

April  24.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Philadel- 
phia. "  Nothing  from  Chanmng.  His  virtues  and 
talents  will  be  honorably  rewarded. 

"  The  army  of  Egypt,  according  to  your  account, 
must  be  in  a  dreadful  situation.  Indeed,  they  must 
inevitably  perish,  unless  Bonaparte  finds  some 
method  to  extricate  them. 

als  it  true,  that  Bushrod  Washington  intends  put- 
ting the  General's  papers  into  some  literary  hand  ? 
If  so,  who  is  to  be  the  biographer?  It  is  said  here, 
that  Dr.  Morse  applied  to  the  Judge.  I  much  doubt 
the  report." 

May  10.  Shaw  to  Walter.  "  I  never  wish  to 
read  another  play  of  Kotzebue.  The  morals  of 
them  all  have  a  pernicious  tendency.  We  find,  in- 
deed, many  excellent  sentiments.  Vice  is  adminis- 
tered with  a  mixture  of  apparent  good,  in  order  to 
make  it  more  lovely.  Like  the  gilded  pill,  they 
may  and  do  conceal  the  fatal  poison.  His  most 
conspicuous  characters  are  vicious,  and  most  obscure, 
virtuous. 

"  I  doubt  whether  Dr.  Morse  applied  to  Judge 
Washington  for  the  General's  papers.  Whoever 
has  the  use  of  them  must  reside  at  Mount  Vernon. 
The  Judge  has  determined  that  they  shall  not  be 
removed  thence.  He  intends  to  have  a  place  built 
for  them. 

"  I  attended  the  Circuit  Court  at  the  trial  of 
Cooper,  who  endeavored  to  prove,  that  the  Presi- 
dent had  imposed  a  standing  army  on  the  country. 
His  trial  makes  an  octavo  volume  of  more  than  three 
hundred  pages.  Among  the  tales,  which  the  insur- 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  ]Q9 

gents  of  Northampton  County,  etc.  believed,  was 
that  Washington  encouraged  their  opposition  to  the 
tax  act.  To  this  effect,  a  letter  was  forged  with 
his  name  and  circulated  among  them* 

"A  duel  was  fought  in  this  city  a  few  days  since, 
by  two  members  of  Congress.  The  combatants 
were  Messrs.  Bayard  and  Champlin.  The  former 
challenged  the  latter,  for  certain  epithets,  applied  to 
him  in  a  speech.  Bayard  was  slightly  wounded  in 
the  knee.  Champlin  was  considerably  wounded  in 
the  cheek." 

May.  Letter  from  T,  B.  Johnson  in  Washington 
to  Shaw  in  Philadelphia.  "  My  mother  received  a 
letter  from  Mrs.  Adams  the  other  day,  in  which  she 
mentions  the  determination  of  the  President  to  visit 
this  city.  You,  of  course,  will  attend  him.  In  a 
political  point  of  view,  I  think  this  step  very  proper. 
You  well  know  the  prejudices  of  the  States.  Noth- 
ing can  so  effectually  obviate  the  consequences  of 
these  prejudices,  as  the  journey  proposed.  People 
will  be  pleased  and  gratified.  It  will  give  a  spur  to 
the  exertions  of  the  friends  to  the  Federal  city." 

May  20.  Wrn.  Smith  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Phil- 
adelphia. "  Your  favor  of  the  8th  inst.,  I  did  not 
receive  until  yesterday,  on  my  return  from  New 
York.  I  have  found  the  attention  of  every  one 
turned  to  the  removal  of  Mr.  Pickering,  and  the 
disbanding  of  the  army.  Except  to  a  few,  I  have 
found  it  a  pleasant  topic.  It  is  the  general  opinion, 
that  the  wheels  of  government  should  move  with 
ease,  and,  if  there  is  any  obstruction,  it  should  be 
removed.  The  dismission  of  the  army  has  met 


110  MEMORIALS    OF 

with  almost  a  general  satisfaction.  The  progress  of 
our  negotiation  with  France,  and  the  present  situa- 
tion of  Europe  is  such,  as  to  remove  all  fear  of  any 
attack  from  that  quarter.  With  a  well  regulated 
militia  and  a  respectable  naval  force,  we  may  feel 
ourselves  safe. 

11 1  presume  you  are  now  setting  out  on  a  tour 
with  the  President,  to  the  Federal  city." 

May  24.  From  Silas  Dinsmore,1  then  in  Phila- 
delphia, to  Shaw  there.  "  You  have  already  been 
informed,  that  I  have  a  claim  against  the  United 
States,  for  expenditures  in  the  Indian  Department. 
The  amount  of  my  bill  is  the  whole  emolument  for 
almost  five  years'  hard  service,  and  the  only  fund  of 
my  future  prospects.  I  solicit  your  assistance,  so 
far  as  it  may  be  proper." 

May.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Washington. 
"  Our  whole  town  is  gone  or  going  to  meet  and 
escort  Governor  Strong  from  Cambridge.  We  have 
our  heads  full  of  the  coming  election  of  President 
and  Electors.  We  are  sorry  to  find  the  balance  of 
opinion  throughout  the  Union  so  nearly  equal. 

"  I  hear  that  many  fiery  friends  of  college  have 
cooled  down  to  be  stony  sons  of  the  world. 

."I  saw  Buckminster  yesterday.  I  believe  that 
he  is  disappointed  in  not  having  the  first  oration  at 
commencement.  His  good  sense,  however,  will 
tell  him  that  such  things  are  forgotten  in  the  course 
of  a  year,  and  that  they  have  little  effect  in  acceler- 
ating a  man's  progress  in  virtue  and  science. 

1  Graduated  from  D.  C.,  1791,  and  had  been  Preceptor  of  Atkin- 
son Academy  in  N.  H. 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  HI 

"Nichols  has  a  large  collection  of  rare  books.  I 
had  a  long  literary  conversation  there  the  other  day 
with  John  S.  J.  Gardiner.  He  tells  me  that  Ros- 
coers  Lorenzo  is  an  elegant  work,  particularly  the 
history  of  Literature  under  the  Medici.  He  told  me, 
that  he  himself  was  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Parr  in  England, 
and  that  the  account  of  the  Pursuits  of  Literature 
concerning  him  are  just ;  that  the  Doctor  is  really 
a  man  of  extensive  erudition,  but  of  no  prudence 
whatever,  and,  that  it  is  owing  to  his  folly  in  politi- 
cal matters,  that  he  has  never  been  elevated  to  high 
dignity  in  the  church.  He  first  conceived  a  great 
love  for  literature  from  Sir  William  Jones,  who  was 
his  school-mate.  Jones  had  some  defect  in  his  eye- 
sight, that  he  could  not  well  read  at  school,  and  used 
to  make  Parr  read  to  him.  By  habit  and  conversa- 
tion with  Jones,  he  cherished  a  love  for  science. 
Mr.  Gardiner  is  of  opinion,  that  Sir  William  Jones 
was  one  of  the  very  first  scholars,  that  England 
has  ever  produced. 

"  Mr.  Dexter  will  accept  the  secretaryship  of  war. 
Of  course,  I  am  to  leave  his  office." 

July  17.  Thomas  White  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw 
in  duincy.  "The  political  world  remains  much  as 
it  was,  except  what  has  arisen  from  the  capture  of 
our  vessels  by  the  English.  This  confirms  the  idea 
that  their  government  is  offended  at  ours  for  accom- 
modating their  differences  with  the  French  Repub- 
lic. Such  conduct  is  so  obviously  opposed  to  the 
true  interests  of  Britain,  I  hope  it  will  not  be  con- 
tinued. She  must  well  know,  that  if  this  country 
departs  from  the  neutral  position  she  has  taken,  it 


112  MEMORIALS   OF 

must   be  for  their  own  security,  and   not   by  the 
command  of  a  superior  power. 

July  20.  John  Russell  in  Boston  to  Shaw  at 
Gtuincy.  "Presuming  that  the  President  may 
have  a  few  leisure  hours,  while  at  Quincy,  I 
request  you  would  have  the  goodness  to  solicit 
his  review  of  the  numbers  of  Davila,  as  it  is 
probable  there  may  have  accrued  some  inaccu- 
racies in  the  printing  of  them.  The  arrangement 
of  the  divisions,  as  originally  published,  I  think 
may  be  altered  to  advantage.  Perhaps  the  Pres- 
ident may  see  fit  to  omit  something,  or  to  enlarge 
on  the  subject.  It  would  be  of  essential  service 
to  me,  could  the  President  be  prevailed  on  to  allow 
the  use  of  his  name  as  the  author ;  but  this 
is  respectfully  submitted  to  his  discretion.  The 
subscribers,  as  far  as  I  have  learnt,  are  not  so  nu- 
merous as  I  could  wish.  Still  I  am  persuaded  the 
work  will  sell,  at  least  sufficiently  to  clear  the  ex- 
pense, which,  in  these  days  of  political  absurdity, 
will  be  doing  pretty  well.  Should  the  President 
not  be  in  possession  of  a  volume  of  Fenno's 
Gazettes,  containing  Davila,1  I  can  supply  him 
with  one." 

Aug.  8.  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw  at 
duincy.  "  The  Supreme  Court  are  waiting  for 
Judge  Chase,  who  is  said  to  be  too  much  engaged 
in  electioneering,  to  be  able  to  attend.  He  is  the 


1  John  Russell,  Aug.  23,  -wrote  to  Mr.  Shaw,  that  he  sent  him  a 
volume  of  the  U.  S.  Gazette,  that  the  President  might  examine 
three  or  four  numbers  at  a  time  (of  Davila) — then  to  be  cut  from 
the  binding  and  sent  to  him  (Russell). 


WILLIAM   SMITH    SHAW.  113 

only  man  in  Maryland,  perhaps,  able  to  cope  with 
Mercer  at  what  they  call  a  canvass.  This  is  always 
held  in  different  parts  of  the  State  of  Maryland,  and 
generally  in  the  Southern  States,  as  I  am  told,  when 
there  is  known  to  be  a  great  concourse  of  people, 
as  at  a  horse-race,  a  cock-fight,  or  a  Methodist  quar- 
terly-meeting. Here  the  candidates  for  political 
honors  or  preferment,  assemble  with  their  partisans. 
They  mount  the  rostrum,  made  of  an  empty  barrel 
or  hogshead,  harangue  the  sovereign  people,  and 
praise  themselves  at  the  expense  of  their  adversa- 
ries' character  and  pretensions.  Such  was  the  mode 
lately  pursued  at  Annapolis,  Elk  Ridge  and  else- 
where. Col.  Mercer,  a  jacobin,  is  a  fluent  speaker. 
He  is  a  candidate  for  the  Assembly.  Mr.  Key,  an 
eminent  orator,  is  also  a  candidate  for  the  same 
body  ;  but  in  a  different  district.  These  gentlemen 
met  on  the  same  ground  at  Annapolis,  and  canvassed 
for  votes." 

August  17.  Richard  Peters,  Jr.,  of  Philadel- 
phia, being  at  Belmont,  to  Shaw  at  duincy. 
"  Were  will,  power,  you  should  long  since  have  re- 
ceived a  letter.  But  from  the  urgent  necessity  lam 
the  slave  of,  by  the  duty  I  feel  to  fit  myself  to 
enter  the  bar,  dignus  honore,  I  have  been  hitherto 
prevented. 

"  Bonaparte  is  Bonaparte  still.  'The  child  of 
fortune  and  of  Mars,'  he  is  not  yet  deserted  by  his 
parents.  I  suppose  a  general  peace  will  be  the  next 
thing.  Then  French  principles  will  have  an  un- 
restrained range.  I  wish  that  some  'Peter  the  her- 
mit '  would  start  up  and  preach  a  crusade  against 
II 


114  MEMORIALS   OF 

the  French.  I  believe  that  I  would  put  on  the  ar- 
mor of  the  faith  and  march.  You  dislike  them  so 
much,  I  should  soon  see  Godfrey  of  Bouillon  revived 
in  yourself." 

Sept.  23.  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw 
at  Q,uincy.  "  I  enclose  you  the  Aurora  of  this 
morning.  I  observe  that  the  pieces  under  the  sig- 
nature of  Decius,  are  ascribed  to  H.  G.  Otis.  I 
have  read  some  of  the  numbers,  and  have  no  doubt 
the  author  is  rightly  designated." 

Sept.  29.  "  The  Constitutionalist  is  written  against 
the  Defence  and  Discourses  on  Davila.  It  has  attained 
No.  6,  in  the  paper  of  this  morning.  Its  author  is 
Thomas  Cooper,  late  of  Manchester,  Great  Britain, 
now  of  Philadelphia.  What  do  you  think  of  our 
poetical  warfare  here  ?  S.  Ewing,  your  friend  and 
correspondent,  is  '  Laureat  to  his  honor.'  He 
wrote  Seneca  in  Wayne's  paper.  The  Governor  is 
dreadfully  goaded  by  the  combined  labors  of  Par- 
nassus. He  threatens  to  make  them  desist.  What 
a  pity  he  has  no  gag-law  in  his  favor." 

Oct.  28.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Washing- 
ton. "Mr.  Otis  has  publicly  declined  being  a  can- 
didate at  the  ensuing  election.  The  federalists  have 
fixed  upon  Josiah  duincy,  Esq.  The  jacobins  are 
making  every  exertion  for  Dr.  Eustis.  There  is  no 
doubt,  in  my  mind,  but  the  Doctor  will  be  chosen. 
In  to-day's  paper  he  has  denied  having  ever  been  the 
reviler  of  Washington,  arid  the  author  of  some  let- 
ters, addressed  to  the  Revolutionary  army,  advising 
them  to  turn  their  arms  against  their  country.  He 
will  be  supported  by  all  the  jacobins,  all  the  mode- 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  U5 

rates,  and  all  the  men  who  have  suffered  by  British 
spoliations. 

"  We  have  a  new  set  of  theatrical  personages. 
We  know  nothing  as  to  their  merits.  At  any  rate, 
I  shall  give  them  very  little  of  my  company.  Let 
us  strengthen  our  virtue  and  increase  our  knowl- 
edge. He  who  improves  best  his  time,  is  the  wisest 
philosopher." 

Nov.  8.  Shaw  in  Washington  to  Walter  in  Bos- 
ton. "  What  shall  I  say  to  you  of  accommodations 
and  buildings.  At  present,  I  can  only  write,  that 
being  one  of  the  first  occupants  of  the  President's 
house,  and  among  the  first  inhabitants  of  the  new 
city,  on  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  government, 
which,  no  doubt,  will  be  an  interesting  event  in  the 
annals  of  our  country, — these  things  draw  from  my 
heart  the  aspiration,  that  Heaven's  choicest  blessing 
may  rest  on  this  city,  so  that  it  may  indeed  be  a 
capital  worthy  of  the  name  of  Washington." 

Nov.  15.  John  Russell  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in 
Washington.  "  I  take  the  liberty  of  soliciting  your 
friendship  in  the  early  transmission  of  the  speech, 
the  answer,  official  papers,  and  generally  whatever 
may  be  deemed  by  you  of  importance,  and  particu- 
larly what  may  relate  to  the  negotiations  with 
France.  The  present  distance  of  Congress  from 
this  place,  and  the  important  state  of  the  public 
mind  at  present,  will  render  every  thing  that  may 
transpire  there  of  great  interest.  To  be  the  first  in 
promulgating  such  matters  here,  will  give  our  Ga- 
zette a  reputation,  which  will  increase  its  circulation 
and  usefulness. 


116  MEMORIALS   OF 

"  The  Boston  frigate  has  this  moment  arrived 
with  a  prize  of  twenty-six  guns  and  three  hundred 
men,  which  she  was  obliged  to  engage  for  three 
hours  before  capture.  The  Boston  has  lost  three 
or  four  men,  killed.  Among  them,  was  a  Mr, 
Young,  purser  of  the  ship.  He  graduated  at  Cam- 
bridge two  or  three  years  since.  He  was  a  native 
of  Bridge  water,  and  very  deserving." 

As  a  congratulation  to  the  first  Congress,  con- 
vened in  Washington  November  22,  the  subsequent 
paper  possesses  an  interest,  which  may  well  require 
its  being  preserved  among  this  collection.  It  was 
handed  to  Mr.  Shaw  for  the  Bodies  it  addressed, 

"  To  the  President,  Senate,  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  United  States  : 

11  We,  the  inhabitants  of  the  District  of  Columbia, 
respectfully  congratulate  you  on  your  first  assem- 
blage at  the  permanent  seat  of  government,  and 
desire  we  may  be  permitted  to  express  to  you  the 
pleasing  emotions  which  that  interesting  event  has 
excited  in  our  minds.  We  wish  the  temporary  in- 
conveniences and  privations  to  which  you  may  be 
exposed  during  the  present  session  could  have  been 
more  completely  obviated ;  and  at  the  same  time 
we  rely  on  your  indulgence  duly  to  estimate  the 
exertions  which  have  been  made,  and  which  we 
shall  continue  to  make,  to  promote  your  comfort. 
When  we  consider  the  various  advantages  of  cli- 
mate, soil  and  navigation,  attached  to  the  position 
which  has  been  wisely  selected  for  the  permanent 
seat  of  the  American  Government,  we  feel  the 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  117 

strongest  assurances,  that  in  a  very  short  period 
every  object  of  reasonable  desire  may  be  enjoyed 
here.  On  this  occasion  we  are  naturally  led  to  the 
dear  remembrance  and  contemplation  of  the  virtues 
of  the  departed  Father  of  his  Country,  whose  name 
this  rising  city  bears,  and  whose  presence  is  only 
wanting  to  consummate  the  felicities  of  this  auspi- 
cious day.  May  his  surviving  countrymen  forever 
venerate  the  example  of  his  life,  as  pure  as  it  was 
splendid,  and  may  this  city  be  as  lasting  as  his 
fame.  Truly  sensible  of  the  many  inestimable  bless- 
ings, civil  and  religious,  which  we  may  enjoy,  we 
embrace  this  opportunity  of  expressing  our  grateful 
acknowledgments  to  the  instruments  who,  under  an 
all-wise  and  gracious  Providence,  have  been  chosen 
for  the  administration  of  the  legislative  and  execu- 
tive functions  of  our  excellent  constitution,  and 
duly  appreciating  our  happy  condition,  we  shall, 
with  zeal  and  fidelity,  assist  and  support  our  faithful 
rulers  in  the  proper  discharge  of  their  important 
trusts.  We  implore  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  uni- 
verse to  preside  over  and  guide  your  deliberations 
in  this  august  temple.  That  justice  and  wisdom 
may  distinguish  your  legislation  upon  the  great  in- 
terests committed  to  your  care,  and  that  you  may, 
individually,  experience  the  pleasure  arising  from  a 
conscientious  discharge  of  the  duties  of  your  impor- 
tant stations,  and  enjoy  every  blessing  in  the  gift  of 
Heaven,  is  our  earnest  prayer. 

"In  behalf  of  the  Committee, 

"  LEONARD  HARBAUGH. 

"AMOS    Al/EXANDER." 
11* 


CHAPTER   VI. 

'^Changes  in  Europe— French  Affairs— Anonymous  Letter— Dying 
Counsel— The  Federal  City  as  it  was— Fears  of  the  Constitution 
— Burr  and  Jefferson— Parental  Advice— District  of  Columbia 
—Crisis— Portfolio— Weld's  History. 

1800,  Nov.  23.  J.  S.  Buckminster  in  Boston  to 
Shaw  in  Washington.  "  Since  commencement  I 
have  resided  at  Waltham,  instructor  of  two  of  Mr. 
Lyman's  children.  He  has  now  removed  to  Boston, 
to  pass  the  winter.  Here  I  daily  see  our  old  friend, 
Walter.  He  is  one  of  those  few  to  whom,  upon 
meeting  after  a  long  absence  we  can  heartily  give 
the  convulsive  shake  of  the  hand.  Here,  with  Saw- 
yer, we  renew  our  old  Socratic  conversations.  In 
these,  you  know,  the  warmest  dispute  is  but  the 
strongest  bond  of  union,  and  a  burst  of  wit  or  satire, 
far  from  being  a  damper,  is  the  very  spirit  of  the 
•conversation. 

•"  Since  I  wrote  you  last,  events  in  the  political 
world  have  been  exceedingly  momentous.  We 
have  seen  a  vast,  but  ill-cemented  confederacy, 
dissolved.  We  have  seen  the  omnipotent  power  of 
genius  concentrating  the  resources,  and  reanimating 
the  enthusiasm  of  a  nation,  which,  twelve  months 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  119 

since,  we  thought  reduced  to  mere  dust  in  the  bal- 
ance. We  have  seen  another  great  empire  exhausted, 
and  gasping  under  the  pressure  of  a  most  oppressive 
war,  while  her  subsidizing  ally  is  still  robust  and 
vigorous  in  her  gold  and  silver  sinews,  notwith- 
standing the  wounds  of  war,  and  the  emaciating 
power  of  famine.  Great  men,  in  many  countries, 
have  fallen,  one  after  the  other,  from  lofty  stations 
in  society,  like  the  successive  ruin  of  massy  col- 
umns in  the  remaining  temples  of  antiquity. 

11  From  the  aspect  of  some  late  elections,  it  might 
be  concluded  that  the  contagion  of  jacobinism  has 
penetrated  into  the  bones  and  marrow  of  our 
country. 

"  Write  me  some  description  of  your  situation. 
Weld,  in  his  Travels  through  North  America,  says 
the  President's  house  in  Washington  is  the  hand- 
somest building  in  the  country." 

Nov.  24.  Shaw  in  Washington  to  Walter  in  Bos- 
ton. "  I  have  lately  seen  some  of  the  French  Ga- 
zettes, which  afforded  me  more  amusement  than 
instruction.  They  represent  the  French  people,  in 
warm  terms,  as  being  very  happy  under  their  present 
government.  That  they  are  so,  I  am  not  disposed 
to  dispute.  Since  the  usurpation  of  Bonaparte, 
their  situation  is  certainly  much  ameliorated ;  the 
arts  and  sciences  are,  in  some  measure,  revived.  I 
believe  that  they  are  in  a  better  situation  than  they 
have  been  since  the  Revolution.  But  I  cannot  be- 
lieve, that  the  present  system  of  government  there 
will  be  permanent.  A  foreigner,  like  Bonaparte, 
among  a  people  to  whom  foreigners  are  particularly 


120  MEMORIALS   OF 

obnoxious,  whose  fundamental  principle  of  rule  is, 
sic  volo,  sicjubeo;  stat  pro  ratione  voluntas,  can- 
not, I  think,  long  retain  his  present  ascendency. 
Should  he  be  removed  from  the  theatre  of  action, 
what  would  become  of  the  permanency  of  their 
constitution.  Like  all  which  preceded  it,  in  the 
language  of  their  philosophy,  it  would  soon  be  con- 
signed to  'an  eternal  sleep.' 

"I  never  heard  it  suggested,  till  in  the  late  Boston 
papers,  that  Dr.  Eustis  was  ever  suspected  as  the 
author  of  the  anonymous  letter.1  It  has  always 
been  attributed  to  General  Armstrong,  of  New 
York.  He  is  now  chosen  Senator  in  the  place  of 
Mr.  Lawrence,  resigned.  I  would  send  you  Aristi- 
des  in  answer  to  General  Hamilton's  letter,  but  I 
see  it  reprinted  in  the  Bostqp  papers." 

Dec.  2.  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw  in 
Washington.  "  The  other  debates  excited  some 
unpleasant  reflections  in  my  bosom.  I  feel  dissat- 
isfied, that  the  Legislature  of  the  Union  should 
spend  days  and  weeks  in  debating  on  the  subject  of 
that  nature,  which  cannot  but  revive  painful  thoughts 
in  the  minds  of  the  surviving  friends  and  relatives 
of  Washington,  and  reflect  neither  honor  nor  credit 
on  themselves.  I  am  in  principle  opposed  to  any- 
thing like  a  monument,  or  mausoleum,  or  statue, 
commemorative  of  the  life  and  services  of  that 
good  man  ;  not  from  any  wish  to  detract  from  the 
merit  of  them,  but  because  I  think  every  device  I 
have  ever  seen  falls  short  of  such  a  design." 

1  Encouraging  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  to  resist  our  gov- 
ernment. 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  121 

Dec.  8.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw.  "  Since  my 
last,  what  a  melancholy  scene  have  I  witnessed ! 
My  ever-honored  father  has  been  called  to  join  the 
hosts  of  heaven.  He  died  on  Friday,  the  5th  of 
December,  of  an  inflammation  of  the  lungs  and  the 
pleurisy.  His  disorder  was  first  occasioned  by  a 
severe  cold.  He  was  confined  to  his  chamber  about 
ten  days,  during  which  period  he  exhibited  most 
perfect  resignation  and  fortitude.  I  assure  you,  that 
his  conduct  in  his  dying  hours,  his  perfect  reliance 
on  the  God  of  his  fathers  and  of  a  blessed  Redeemer, 
has  confirmed  my  belief  in  the  Christian  religion. 
The  day  before  his  death,  he  took  the  holy  sacra- 
ment with  all  his  children,  then  blessed  us  all,  gave 
us  the  most  salutary  counsels  and  the  most  comfort- 
able doctrines.  He  was  perfectly  rational  to  his 
last  moments,  and,  not  ten  minutes  before  he  died, 
he  uttered  these  consoling  words,  c  I  go  to  meet  the 
Bridegroom  with  my  lamp  trimmed,'  and  then, 
closed  his  eyes  with  his  own  hands,  and  fell  asleep 
in  Jesus." 

Dec.  9.  Charles  Chauncey  in  Philadelphia  to 
Shaw  in  Washington.  "  I  am  gratified  by  your 
reflections  on  the  French.  To  me,  it  is  an  obvious 
opinion,  that  the  excellence  of  government  is 
founded  in  its  adaptation  to  the  state  of  the  society 
it  rules.  There  is  little  that  savors  of  permanency 
in  the  present  character  of  the  French.  It  is  not 
irrational  to  suppose,  that  the  present  quiescence  in 
France  proceeds  rather  from  extreme  lassitude,  con- 
sequent on  successive  revolutions,  than  from  any 
attachment  to  stable  principles.  Their  constitution 


122  MEMORIALS   OF 

is  founded  upon  no  recognized  state  of  moral  habit 
in  the  people,  and  the  government  is  manifestly  de- 
pendent for  its  continuance  on  the  ascendency  of  a 
single  individual. 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  an  excursion  to  Pitts- 
burgh. As  to  the  western  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  I 
can  only  briefly  observe,  that  there  is  an  obvious 
variation  in  the  moral  and  intellectual  situation  of 
the  people  there,  from  that  of  the  people  in  New 
England.  But  in  every  quarter  I  visited,  I  had  the 
satisfaction  of  meeting  some  few  men,  true  to  the 
cause  of  good  government,  sound  morals  and  sober 
faith." 

Dec.  11.  Shaw  in  Washington  to  Walter  in  Bos- 
ton. "  Compared  with  the  two  very  pleasant  win- 
ters which  I  spent  in  Philadelphia,  I  fear  this  will 
be  rather  unpleasant.  There  was  pure  enjoyment 
in  abundance  of  books  and  a  few  choice  friends. 
Here  the  reverse.  I  am  acquainted  with  one  pleas- 
ant family.  But  they  live  so  far  off,  if  I  go  to 
spend  an  evening  with  them,  it  is  ten  chances  to 
one,  that  on  my  return  home  I  lose  my  way  in  the 
woods,  or  stumble  over  piles  of  bricks,  or  fall  into 
some  new  cellar.  The  respectable  inhabitants,  gen- 
erally speaking,  are  so  immersed  in  speculation  on 
houses  and  lots  of  land,  you  can  derive  little  improve- 
ment or  happiness  from  their  society.  Without 
books  or  friends,  I  feel  very  much  as  the  great  and 
good  Dr.  Clarke  said  he  did,  when  he  buried  his 
wife,  '  As  if  his  soul  had  separated  from  him.' 

"  Early  in  life,  I  was  carefully  taught  by  my  ever 
dear  and  honored  parents,  the  shortness  and  uncer- 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  123 

tainty  of  life,  and  the  vanity  of  all  human  enjoy- 
ments, and  the  consequent  importance  of  improving 
well  the  little  time,  which  would  be  allotted  to  me 
in  this  transitory  world.  Next  to  the  approbation 
of  my  own  conscience  and  that  of  my  God,  I  desire 
the  esteem  of  worthy  friends. 

11 1  enjoy  equally  with  you  the  firm  and  patriotic 
conduct  of  the  Senate  of  Pennsylvania.  By  their 
decision,  they  have  won  lasting  honor.  The  House 
at  last  acceded  to  the  proposition  of  the  Senate, 
which,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  was  in  consequence 
of  expresses  from  jacobins  in  Congress,  on  the  sup- 
position that  Jefferson  and  Burr  would  receive  a 
majority  of  the  votes  in  South  Carolina.  By  the 
unfavorable  news  which  we  have  received  from  this 
State,  I  look  upon  the  election  as  decided  in  favor 
of  Jefferson  and  Burr." 

As  a  specimen  of  the  general  fear  which  pervaded 
the  federal  party,  that  all  would  be  lost,  as  to  our 
national  prosperity,  if  they  failed  to  have  the  ascen- 
dency in  Congress,  we  give  the  subsequent  extract. 
It  is  in  a  letter  from  Russell  and  Cutler  of  Boston 
to  Shaw  in  Washington.  Dec.  11.  "If  South  Car- 
olina be  faithless  enough  to  drop  Mr.  Adams,  there 
is  cause  to  suspect,  that  the  constitution  is  of  short 
life,  and  we  are  fitted  for  the  open  and  avowed 
attacks  of  foreign  and  domestic  faction." 

Dec.  15.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Washing- 
ton. "  I  send  you  your  Washington  and  Ander- 
son's Correspondence.  The  work  is  not  what  I 
expected.  Only  one  perfect  letter  from  General 


124  MEMORIALS   OF 

Washington  occurs  in  the  whole  book.  This,  you 
perceive,  is  a  great  bore  on  the  American  people." 

Dec.  16.  "  Rev.  John  Lathrop  of  Boston  to 
Shaw  in  Washington.  "  Yours  of  Nov.  19,  accom- 
panying the  prospectus  of  the  Royal  Institution  of 
Great  Britain,  and  a  letter  from  Count  Rumford,  to 
be  laid  before  the  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences, 
came  as  directed,  and  I  thank  you  for  your  atten- 
tion. We  have  been  and  are  still  very  anxious  to 
hear  a  favorable  account  of  the  election  of  President 
and  Vice  President.  When  I  say  we,  I  have  respect 
to  the  steady,  old  federalists,  who  were  the  friends 
of  the  Revolution  in  those  trying  days,  and  who 
now  wish  to  preserve  the  rights  and  liberties  of  our 
country.  We  have  people  among  us,  who  hope 
Mr.  Jefferson  will  be  our  next  President,  and  others, 
who  hope  Mr.  Pinckney  will  be  chosen.  But  I  flat- 
ter myself  with  an  opinion,  that  a  majority  of  the 
wise  and  good  hope  and  pray  the  votes  will  be  for 
the  man  who  now  presides,  and  whose  administra- 
tion has  been  attended  with  singular  blessings." 

Dec.  19.  Walter  in  Boston  to  Shaw  in  Washing- 
ton. "  I  cannot  discover  sufficient  reasons  for  pre- 
ferring Burr  to  Jefferson.  I  believe  that  the  polit- 
ical chemistry  of  the  latter,  as  President,  would 
contain  acids  and  alkalies  for  absurd  experiments, 
but  that  he  would  act  with  the  prudence,  which 
arises  from  fear,  and  with  the  caution,  which  is 
characteristic  of  a  man  of  speculation.  As  for  Burr, 
he  has  intriguing  qualities  of  a  wonderful  nature. 
He  is  desperately  wicked,  and  possesses  great  abili- 
ties. I  believe  he  would  stop  at  nothing  to  ac- 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  125 

complish  his  purposes.  Unless  the  federalists  unite 
their  energies,  I  shall  tremble  for  the  institutions  of 
revered  liberty.  I  rejoice  at  the  honorable  conduct 
of  General  Pinckney." 

Dec.  27.  Charles  Chauncey,  in  Philadelphia,  di- 
rected to  Shaw  in  Washington.  "  What  do  1  say 
of  the  late  election  ?  I  cannot  foresee  the  future 
destinies  of  my  country,  but  it  is  my  serious  opinion 
that  she  has  every  evil  thing  to  fear,  from  the  mis- 
rule of  unprincipled  men.  We  have  demonstrated, 
that  a  people  with  much  information,  and  strongly 
fortified  against  error  by  ancient  and  virtuous  habit, 
are  unfit  to  govern  themselves.  In  the  infancy  of 
our  policy,  we  have  mocked  at  the  monitions  of  our 
sagest  men.  The  government  of  Pennsylvania; 
goes  on  in  the  manner  to  be  expected  from  the 
character  of  its  first  magistrate.  A  proposition  has 
been  introduced  into  the  House  of  Representatives, 
to  exclude  all  English  decisions  from  our  courts  of 
law.  This  measure  is  designed  as  a  stab  at  our  pro- 
fession, but  there  is  more  of  malice  than  of  wisdom 
in  the  design.  It  was  expected  by  some  of  the 
federal  men  here,  that  the  unwarrantable  demeanor 
of  our  Governor  would  make  enemies,  in  all  quar- 
ters, to  himself  and  hfs  cause.  But,  in  my  western 
excursion,  I  convinced  myself  that  the  effect  has 
been  widely  different.  Democracy  has  progressed, 
since  McKean's  elevation,  with  rapid  strides.  There 
is  no  reliance  on  the  people  as  a  sovereign.  They 
are  whimsical  and  arbitrary." 

Dec.  31.  From  Mr.  Shaw's  mother.  "  The  die 
is  cast.  Jefferson  is  announced  the  President.  I 
12 


126  MEMORIALS   OF 

will  not  despond.  I  trust  that  the  patriot  will  stand 
unmoved  by  calumny,  unsubdued  by  malice,  uncon- 
quered  by  the  arts  of  insidious  friends ;  that  his 
bow  will  abide  in  strength,  and  his  integrity  preserve 
him,  supported  by  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob. 

"  You,  my  dear  son,  must  feel  particularly  affected 
by  this  event,  and,  with  me,  anticipate  with  regret 
the  time  when  you  must  leave  the  best  of  friends 
and  benefactors.  Though  bereaved,  at  a  most  crit- 
ical time,  of  your  earthly  parent,  you  have  shared 
largely  in  the  beneficence  of  that  Being,  who  is  a 
father  to  the  orphan  and  clothes  even  the  lily  of  the 
field.  Ever  since  you  have  quitted  your  collegiate 
life,  you  have  been  in  a  situation  to  increase  your 
knowledge;  happy  in  being  surrounded  by  an  as- 
semblage of  virtues,  fitted  to  elevate  your  motives, 
form  your  morals  and  improve  your  manners.  It 
affords  me  the  most  heartfelt  pleasure,  that  I  have 
reason  to  think,  that  you  have  not  misspent  so  pre- 
cious a  season.  But  neither  you  nor  I  can  wholly 
divest  ourselves  of  anxiety,  respecting  the  course  of 
life  you  must  soon  pursue.  I  hope  you  will  form 
your  measures  with  prudence.  Let  them  be  the 
result  of  advice  and  premeditation.  In  whatever 
situation  you  may  be,  or  whatever  profession  you 
may  choose,  may  you  study  to  act  your  part,  as  one 
who  is  responsible,  and  must  render  an  account." 

1801,  Jan.  5.  Shaw  in  Washington  to  Walter  in 
Boston.  "  One  of  the  bills  before  Congress  con- 
cerns the  District  of  Columbia.  This,  as  reported, 
excites  much  clamor  among  the  inhabitants.  You 
can  have  no  idea  of  the  clashing  interests  and  dis- 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  127 

cord,  which  prevail  among  them.  Those  of  the 
eastern  part  are  anxious  and  active  to  have  the  pub- 
lic buildings  erected  among  them,  so  that  population 
may  increase  there ;  those  of  Georgetown  are  alike 
engaged  for  the  improvements  of  the  other  extrem- 
ity ;  while  those  of  the  centre  are  equally  hostile 
to  both  of  these  projects.  These  three  different 
interests  are  powerful,  and  arrayed  against  each 
other.  You  cannot  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  city 
has  made  no  greater  progress.  In  short,  they  seem 
to  be  in  a  condition,  like  that  called  by  Hobbes,  a 
*  state  of  nature, — the  war  of  every  man  against 
every  man.'  The  bill  for  a  mausoleum  to  Wash- 
ington has  passed  the  House.  They  have  appropri- 
ated two  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  object. 
I  confess  I  do  not  like  the  idea  of  a  mausoleum. 
Such  a  thing  has  not  been  heard  of  in  modern 
times.  It  has  no  resemblance  in  this  country.  It 
appears  to  me  not  so  proper  as  an  equestrian  statue, 
or  a  marble  monument.  Travelers  who  may  look 
on  it,  will  say  as  Anaxagoras  did,  when  he  viewed 
the  pile  raised  by  Artemisia,  in  honor  of  her  hus- 
band, Mausoleus, — whence  the  name  is  derived, — 
1  How  much  money  changed  into  stones! ' 

"I  send  with  this  a  pamphlet  of  William  Gifford. 
As  a  satirical  performance,  it  has  much  merit.  It 
will  afford  you  pleasure.  I  will  try  for  a  Spanish 
Telemachus,  but  it  is  not  likely  that  I  shall  suc- 
ceed. There  is  nothing  of  the  kind  in  this  Dis- 
trict." 

Jan.  6.  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw  in 
Washington.  "  I  presume  the  President  will  re- 


128  MEMORIALS  Off 

ceive  by  this  mail,  the  prospectus  and  first  num- 
ber of  the  Portfolio.  There  is  much  original  and 
valuable  matter  in  it,  which  I  sincerely  hope  may 
flourish." 

Jan.  10.  William  H.  Sumner  at  Roxbury  to 
Shaw  in  Washington.  "By  Mr.  T.  B.  Adams's 
politeness,  Mr.  Forbes  and  myself  got  a  passage  in 
an  extra  stage  to  Baltimore.  The  company  of  Mr. 
Adams  from  thence  to  Philadelphia  much  conduced 
to  the  pleasure  of  my  journey.  He  is  an  excellent 
traveling  companion.  His  anecdotes  amuse,  his 
politeness  pleases,  and  his  intelligence  interests  and 
entertains  you. 

11 1  once  knew  a  rich  man,  who  feed  a  lawyer  for 
his  advice,  which  was  given,  and  was  the  advice  of 
an  honest  man;  but  it  did  not  suit  the  inclination 
of  the  client.  The  next  time,  he  feed  a  lawyer 
who  advised  him  to  act  as  he  wished,  and 
thus  gratified  his  vicious  inclination.  Such  appears 
to  be  the  situation  of  our  country.  Our  Presi- 
dent has  administered  the  government  with  too 
much  honesty.  The  corrupt  propensities  of  the 
people  have  not  been  satisfied.  They  must  now 
have  a  President,  who  will  aim  to  gratify  their 
wishes  more  than  to  secure  their  best  good.  When 
Socrates  was  dead,  the  people  mourned  for  him  and 
his  accusers  were  condemned.  The  President  is 
now  honored  by  his  enemies,  and  many  of  his 
opposers  regret  their  success. 

"  What  are  we  to  expect  from  the  next  adminis- 
tration, is  a  general  question.  You  will  perceive 
by  the  Centinel,  that  its  supporters  are  solicitous  for 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  129 

the  election  of  Burr.  One  reason  which  prevails 
with  honest  federalists  is,  that  the  government  is 
failing,  and  our  political  affairs  are  approaching  a 
crisis,  and  that  Burr  is  the  most  decisive  and  will 
hasten  it  on.  The  appointment  of  Mr.  Jay  is  a 
high  consolation  to  the  friends  of  government,  not 
only  for  the  strength  he  will  give  our  independent 
judiciary,  but  also  that  it  keeps  him  in  view  of  the 
public  eye." 

Jan.  12.  George  W.  Kirkland1  in  Washington  to 
Mr.  Shaw.  "  I  have  mentioned  that  a  Lieuten- 
ancy in  one  of  the  regiments  of  infantry,  would 
be  most  acceptable  to  me,  were  I  indulged  with  a 
choice.  In  any  event,  an  appointment  in  the  mili- 
tary school  would  involve  a  kind  of  duty,  to  which 
I  should  attend  with  diligence  and  pleasure.  I 
arrived  here  on  the  22d  of  June  last,  where  I  have 
been  waiting  in  suspense.  To  calculate  the 
remains  of  my  scanty  purse,  would  not  require  an 
elaborate  display  of  arithmetical  talents.  Since  the 
first  of  December,  I  have,  in  conformity  to  the 
order  of  General  Wilkinson,  and  from  the  daily 
expectation  of  an  appointment,  superintended  the 
recruiting  service  in  this  city.  I  am  well  aware 
that  my  individual  wishes  are  not  to  be  gratified, 
unless  they  are  compatible  with  the  interest  of  my 
country,  nor  would  I  make  myself  of  too  much 
importance.  Colonel  Smith  sent  recommendatory 
letters,  that  I  should  be  retained  in  service  and  not 
superseded,  as  early  as  the  31st  of  May." 

1  Brother  to  President  John  T.  Kirkland,  and  son  of  the  mis- 
sionary. 

12* 


130  MEMORIALS  OF 

January.  Shaw  in  Washington  to  Walter  in  Bos- 
ton. "  The  judiciary  bill  has  passed  the  House  by 
a  majority  of  eight.  It  has  been  considerably 
altered,  perhaps  for  the  better.  If  you  recollect, 
last  session,  there  were  two  bills  presented  to  the 
Bouse.  The  present,  as  it  has  passed,  is  more 
agreeable  with  the  first.  It  contemplates  the  abol- 
ishment of  the  present  Circuit  Courts  only;  the 
District  Courts  still  to  remain  Courts  of  Admiralty, 
etc.,  as  they  were.  The  United  States  are  to  be 
^divided  into  Districts,  and  these  Districts  classed 
into  six  Circuits,  and  each  Circuit  to  have  three 
judges.  Additional  District -Courts  are,  also,  to  be 
established  in  the  Districts  of  New  Jersey,  Mary- 
land, Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  a  majority  of  the  Senate  will  agree 
>to  its  becoming  a  law.  This  will  be  a  great 
thing. 

"  For  the  three  last  days,  the  House  have  been 
occupied  on  the  question  whether  the  sedition  law 
shall  be  renewed  or  not.  This  occasioned  a  very 
interesting  and  animated  debate,  and  as  great  a  dis- 
iplay  of  eloquence  as  they  have  had  for  some  time. 
Mr.  Bayard  made  a  long  and  elegant  speech,  which 
he  concluded  by  the  most  clear  and  satisfactory 
defence  of  common  law,  that  I  have  ever  heard. 
Mr.  Gallatin  answered  him.  Mr.  Otis,  with  his 
usual  ability,  replied  to  Mr.  Gallatin.  The  ques- 
tion was  taken  on  Friday.  Forty-eight  were  for, 
and  forty-eight  against.  The  Speaker  decided  it 
in  the  affirmative.  This  was  on  the  first  reading  of 
the  bill.  Two  or  three  of  the  democratic  members 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  131 

have  since  arrived,  and  there  is  great  reason  to  fear 
that  it  will  not  be  carried  on  the  second  reading.  I 
wish  the  law,  with  some  alterations,  to  be  perma- 
nent. To  establish  a  government,  founded  on 
public  opinion,  and  then  allow  this  opinion  to  be 
misled  and  corrupted  by  the  lowest  miscreants  of 
society,  who  have  talents  to  invent  falsehood,  is 
not  my  system.  No.  Government  should  be  re- 
spected, character  should  not  be  wrongly  attacked 
with  impunity. 

11 A  bill  has  been  reported  to  the  House  for  the 
government  of  the  District,  similar  to  the  system 
proposed  by  '  Epaminondas,'  which,  I  think,  is  a 
tolerably  good  one.  I  hope  it  will  pass.  It  is  abso- 
lutely necessary,  that  Congress  should  assume  im- 
mediate jurisdiction  over  the  District.  At  present, 
it  shows  very  little  of  law,  order,  or  even  civilized 
life.  An  energetic  government  will  add  to  its 
respectability,  establish  a  degree  of  harmony  among 
the  citizens,  if  any  thing  can,  and  thus  promote  its 
advancement. 

"  I  was  pleased  with  Anderson's  long  letter,  and 
think  it  contains  much  useful  information.  Sir 
John  Sinclair  has  published  a  number  of  letters, 
which  he  received  from  General  Washington,  in  a 
rich  and  beautiful  style.  He  has  had  fac  similes  of 
them  engraved.  They  are  on  agricultural  subjects. 

"  Before  you  receive  this,  the  Portfolio  must  have 
reached  Boston.  I  hope  and  trust  you  are  pleased 
with  it,  and  will  exert  yourself  to  obtain  subscribers. 
It  will  be  an  excellent  literary  production  ;  will  de- 
serve and  receive  encouragement.  I  have  obtained 


132  MEMORIALS  OF 

nearly  fifty  subscribers  in  this  city,  and  collected 
the  money  in  advance.  Many  gentlemen  of  Con- 
gress have  honorably  interested  themselves  in  its 
circulation.  Dickins  is  a  young  man  of  consider- 
able taste,  respectable  family,  and  pure  principles. 
I  have  passed  many  delightful  hours  in  his  shop." 

January  13.  Thomas  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia 
to  Shaw.  "  Your  pamphlets  are  very  seasonable 
and  acceptable.  The  detail  of  Congressional  pro- 
ceedings, with  which  you  have  furnished  me,  is  by 
far  the  most  satisfactory  of  any  I  have  seen.  The 
judiciary  bill  is  one  of  the  first  magnitude,  and 
must  be  passed  this  session,  if  the  federal  gentle- 
men have  any  anxiety  for  the  public  good.  Able 
lawyers  enough  are  to  be  found,  and  who  will 
eagerly  accept  the  office  of  elevation  to  the  Bench 
under  an  improved  system  ;  but  the  arduous  service, 
imposed  by  the  present  establishment,  is  a  discour- 
agement not  easily  overcome.  I  hope  Mr.  Ingersoll 
will  be  allowed  till  February  to  make  up  his  mind. 
He  will  then  be  at  Washington  in  person,  and  can 
be  consulted  as  to  his  determination.  He  will 
accept  the  office  of  Associate  Judge,  if  the  new  law 
be  passed.  It  is  reported  that  Mr.  Jay  has  declined, 
but  I  know  not  on  what  authority. 

"  The  Portfolio  goes  on  swimmingly.  Several 
active  and  influential  gentlemen  have  entered  so 
largely  into  the  plan  of  promoting  its  success,  that 
subscribers  multiply  with  rapidity.  I  read  Dennie 
some  of  your  observations,  and  he  discovered  a 
grateful  sense  of  your  zeal  and  activity  in  furthering 
his  views.  The  large  contribution  from  the  pen  of 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  133 

J.  d.  A.,  in  the  last  number,  has  been  very  favor- 
ably received.  Juvenal's  Thirteenth  Satire  appears 
in  a  neat  arid  elegant  attire." 

Jan.  16.  Shaw  in  Washington  to  J.  S.  Bnckmin- 
ster  in  Boston.  "  What  shall  I  say  to  you  of  the 
metropolis  of  the  United  States  ?  '  Cities  shall 
grow  where  forests  late  have  stood,'  which  might 
be  paraphrased,  This  is  a  city  growing  in  the  midst 
of  woods.  The  habits,  manners  and  customs  of  the 
people  here,  are  very  different  from  those  of  New 
England.  Some  of  the  planters  have  fortune,  tal- 
ents and  principle ;  but  the  far  greater  number  of 
the  inhabitants  are  poor,  unprincipled  and  intem- 
perate. 

"  Since  you  wrote  me,  the  revolution  among  the 
French  presents  us  a  different  aspect.  From  the 
extreme  of  liberty  and  equality,  they  have  gone  to 
the  extreme  of  despotism.  All  of  a  sudden,  the 
hero,  whom  the  world  had  destined  to  die  in  Egypt, 
reappears  in  France  to  wield  the  sceptre.  How 
long  he  will  thus  continue  is  very  problematical. 

"  Mr.  Weld  did  not  continue  long  in  this  country. 
He  collected  his  information  from  persons  of  little 
intelligence,  and  returned  to  England,  with  pre- 
tended disgust  for  our  institutions  and  character,  to 
publish  a  book.  This  is  written  with  some  talent, 
but  every  page  is  a  libel  on  our  country." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Neutral  Rights — Admiralty  Law  —  Literary  Journals  —  Political 
Parties — Jefferson  and  Burr — Duel -^Popularity  Fickle — Study 
of  Law  —  Introductory  Letters  *— Floridas —  President  Adams's 
Remarks — Yellow  Fever^  College. 

1801,  Ian.  20.  Prom  Walter  in  Boston.  "The 
last  news  from  Europe  is  singular  and  important. 
Singular,  because  Russia  was  the  ally  and  apparent 
friend  of  Great  Britain ;  now,  she  is  the  determined 
enemy.  Important,  because  the  great  question  of 
neutral  rights  is  to  be  determined  by  serious  war. 
The  Northern  Powers  have  long  seen  with  jealousy, 
that  the  English  have  been  triumphant  on  the 
ocean.  With  their  united  forces  and  the  navies  of 
France,  Holland  and  Spain,  they  will  endeavor  to 
enforce  their  opinions.  As  an  American,  I  think 
the  present  law  of  nations  is  unfavorable  to  our  ex- 
tensive commerce,  unprotected  as  it  is  by  a  respect- 
able navy.  But  the  present  national  law  is  more 
equitable,  and  better  founded  on  the  nature  and  con- 
stitution of  individual  and  civil  man,  than  the  one 
that  is  advocated  by  the  Northern  Powers.  As  to 
the  event,  I  have  little  doubt  that  the  English,  by 
their  great  preponderancy  on  the  ocean,  will  soon 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  135 

break  to  pieces  the  apparently  formidable  coalition. 
All  the  leagued  powers  are  brave  and  determined, 
but  the  English  are  superior  in  experience,  and 
equal  in  numbers. 

"  I  like  Gifford  on  Pindar.  There  is  in  the  pres- 
ent age,  a  spirit  of  egotism,  which  obscures  the 
brightness  of  the  best  productions.  It  is  so  with 
the  present  pamphlet ;  was  the  case  with  the  Pur- 
suits of  Literature,  and  other  productions  of  the 
last  year.  I  have  lately  seen  a  magazine  edited  by 
Bisset.  It  contains  a  life  of  Pitt,  and  another  of 
Fox.  They  are  very  handsomely  delineated,  I  pre- 
sume by  Bisset  himself.  He  has  published  a  sec- 
ond enlarged  edition  of  Burke's  life,  with  original 
letters  and  a  more  full  account  of  his  early  life." 

Jan.  21.  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw 
in  Washington.  "  The  exertions  which  you  have 
made  for  the  diffusion  of  Dennie's  paper,  are  grate- 
fully acknowledged  by  him.  He  will  attend  to 
your  suggestions,  and  supply  his  subscribers  with 
punctuality. 

"  I  have  just  met  with  a  small  work,  purporting 
to  be  a  translation  from  the  Italian,  called  'Romans 
in  Greece.'  It  was  sent  to  Dickins  by  Nancrede 
from  Boston.  It  is  worth  your  reading,  if  you 
never  saw  it.  I  shall  send  you  one.  The  object 
of  it  seems  to  be  to  point  out  the  affinity  and  strik- 
ing resemblance  of  the  scenes,  which  are  acting  in 
our  day,  to  those  of  remote  antiquity,  and  the  par- 
allel between  the  conduct  of  the  Romans  in  Greece, 
and  the  French  in  Italy,  Holland,  Germany,  Egypt  ; 
in  short,  wheresoever  their  armies  have  successfully 


136        .  MEMORIALS   OF 

penetrated.       It    is     drawn     with     precision    and 
ability. 

"  Samuel  Harrison  Smith  has,  I  find,  taken  up  his 
Congressional  observatory  in  the  upper  gallery,  by 
being  brushed  off  from  the  lower  floor.  He  is  very 
provoking  to  the  honorable  Speaker.  I  could  not 
help  laughing  at  the  keen  satire  he  vented  on  one 
occasion,  when  he  said  that,  for  his  part,  he  did  not 
profess  to  understand  the  Speaker  always,  when  he 
heard  distinctly  all  he  uttered." 

Jan.  29.  J.  Wagner  to  Shaw.  "  Enclosed  are 
extracts  of  Mr.  King's  Letters  to  the  Secretary  of 
State,  respecting  General  Miranda's1  project.  I 
have  carefully  searched  for,  and  do  not  find,  any 
letter  from  the  latter  to  the  President." 

Jan.  29.  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw 
in  Washington.  "  I  enclose  you  another  set  of  the 
Portfolio  for  distribution.  The  Journal  of  the  Sile- 
sian  Tour  is  considered  here  as  the  most  interesting 
of  all  the  contents.  No.  5,  is  a  beautiful  and  classi- 
cal letter  from  the  same  hand.  Our  lawyers  are 
gone  off  to-day  for  the  city.  Mr.  Tngersoll  will  give 
in  his  resignation.  I  hope  Mr.  William  Tilghman 
will  be  his  successor.  Lieut.  Parker,  of  the  Navy, 
is  going  to-morrow,  and  I  give  him  a  line  for  you." 

Jan.  30.  Prom  Richard  Peters,  Jr.,  in  Philadel- 
phia. "  Let  not  my  long  silence  argue  a  want  of 
love  for  you.  I  have  been  projecting  and  am  now 
preparing  a  work  for  the  press.  Start  not.  It  is 
but  a  collection  of  law  tracts.  There  is  no  method, 
say  the  best  writers,  so  beneficial  in  impressing  a 

1  To  revolutionize  the  South  American  provinces. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.      .          137 

subject  on  the  mind  as  writing  on  it.  I  wish  to 
study  and  obtain  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
admiralty  law.  I  intend,  therefore,  to  collect  and 
write  upon  that  subject.  Many  have  been  the 
changes  in  our  political  hemisphere  since  I  saw  my 
friend.  Calculation  has  closed  her  book  on  her  poli- 
ticians, and  a  torpor  prevails  universally.  The 
publication  of  the  Portfolio  must  give  you,  as  a 
literary  man,  much  pleasure.  Dennie  has  resumed 
his  preaching  garb,  and  wears  it  with  grace.  You 
may  promise  yourself  a  dish  of  entertainment  of 
various  kinds,  even  seven  days,  for  the  number  of 
correspondents  are  great.  The  Gazette,  United 
States,  has  another  edition  of  ancient  and  tried 
principles,  and  throughout  the  Union  there  appears 
a  general  resurrection  of  literature  and  political 
truths.  You  will  rejoice  at  this.  You  will  join  me 
in  the  wish,  that  the  sun  of  reform,  which  now  only 
appears  above  the  edge  of  the  horizon,  shedding  a 
few  rays  through  a  troubled  and  cloudy  atmosphere 
on  our  thirsty  land,  may  proceed  to  its  meridian 
splendor." 

Jan.  30.  From  Charles  Chauncey,  jr.  "  I  thank 
you  for  your  frank,  spirited  and  ingenious  com- 
munication. The  hurly-burly  of  politics,  and  the 
strange  and  astonishing  disorder  of  things  in  our 
country,  is  sufficient  to  sicken  at  the  first  glance  of 
the  subject.  What  shall  we  not  say,  when  the  peo- 
ple are  so  cheated  as  to  exchange  rulers  of  excel- 
lence for  others  far  inferior?  Shall  we  not  conclude 
that  our  government  is  a  baseless  fabric  ?  Efforts 
are  making  to  revive  the  drooping  character  of  our 
13 


138  MEMORIALS    OF 

literary  journals.  The  Portfolio,  it  is  hoped,  will 
be  respectable.  The  New  England  Palladium, 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Button,  and  the  Gazette 
of  the  United  States,  conducted  by  my  friend  Mr. 
Bronson,  promise  to  be  effectual  in  the  cause  of 
sound  principles." 

Feb.  4.  Rev.  John  Lathrop  of  Boston  to  Shaw 
in  Washington.  "Yours  of  the  28th  December,  I 
had  the  pleasure  to  receive,  for  which  I  beg  you  to 
accept  my  thanks.  I  feel  with  you  the  mortifica- 
tion, which  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  people  in 
the  United  States  feel,  in  the  decision  of  the  impor- 
tant election.  Sincerely  do  I  join  in  the  pious  re- 
quest, c  that  the  all  good  God  will  still  continue  to 
shower  down  his  blessings,  as  the  dew  of  heaven, 
on  our  beloved  country.'  There  is  certainly  no 
man  on  earth,  for  whom  I  feel  a  higher  esteem,  than 
I  do  for  President  Adams.  I  am  proud  that  the 
New  England  States  gave  him  every  vote.  He  will 
retire  with  dignity.  At  his  tranquil  abode,  he  will 
be  esteemed  as  the  friend  of  religion,  of  rational  lib- 
erty, of  good  government,  and  of  man.  1  send  you 
a  copy  of  my  Century  Discourse." 

Feb.  8.  From  Dr.  Cotton  Tufts  at  Weymouth. 
"  The  issue  of  the  late  election  is  far  from  being 
pleasant,  even  to  the  jacobins  amongst  us.  It  seems 
to  be  anticipated  here,  that  Burr  will  obtain  the  vote 
in  the  House  of  Representatives  ;  but  at  this  dis~ 
tance  from  the  seat  of  government,  we  can  form 
but  a  slender  conjecture.  Time,  however,  must 
determine  this,  as  well  as  the  future  administration 
of  government,  whether  it  will  be  such  as  has  been 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  139 

predicted  or  not.  Submission  becomes  here  the 
most  necessary  virtue." 

Feb.  15.  Russell  &  Cutler  of  Boston  to  Shaw  in 
Washington.  "As  it  is  probable,  that  in  closing 
the  present  session  of  Congress,  there  will  be  some 
matters  of  high  importance  decided,  some  appoint- 
ments, and,  we  hope  some  farewell  address  from 
our  beloved  Chief,  we  request,  as  a  particular  mark 
of  your  friendship,  to  furnish  us  with  them  at  as 
early  a  period  as  your  convenience  will  allow.  Of 
incidents  we  have  but  one  to  relate,  which  occurred 
at  our  theatre  on  Friday  evening,  at  the  represent- 
ation of  the  '  Lock  and  Key.'  In  it  one  of  the 
actors,  in  the  person  of  a  British  tar,  sings  a  song  in 
praise  of  British  seamen,  with  an  allusion  to  the 
capture  of  a  French  frigate  by  the  Arethusa. 
This  song,  though  possessing  little  merit,  and  in  no 
way  noticed  by  the  federal  part  of  the  audience, 
excited  indignant  feelings  in  the  hearts  of  the 
jacobins  present,  and  they  accordingly  hissed  it,  but 
were  soon  overruled.  On  the  next  evening  the 
same  play  was  re-acted,  and  an  immense  number 
collected.  The  hissing,  as  before,  commenced,  but 
was  not  suppressed  without  great  disturbance  and 
many  black  eyes  and  purple  noses." 

Feb.  15.  From  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia. 
"  We  have  heard  of  the  proceedings  in  the  Repre- 
sentative chamber  as  far  as  the  twenty-second  bal- 
lot. We  have  admired  that  firmness  which  puts 
the  issue  of  the  choice  upon  strength  of  nerves 
rather  than  numbers.  I  have  but  little  expectation 
that  the  thing  will  go  through  as  it  began.  Some- 


140  MEMORIALS   OF 

body  will  go  over  to  the  majority,  but  it  is  hard  to 
say,  or  even  conjecture,  who  this  will  be.  The 
Aurora  threatens  to  seize  on  the  public  arms,  and 
force  down  the  man  of  the  people  upon  us. 

"The  desperation  of  the  jacobins  is  almost  in- 
describable, and  I  know  not  how  soon  it  may  show 
itself  in  acts  of  tumult  and  violence.  Yesterday 
I  was  walking  in  Chestnut  street,  in  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon,  and  passed  three  men,  of  whom  I 
took  no  notice  at  the  time.  Before  I  was  beyond 
hearing  distance,  one  of  them,  in  a  loud  voice,  said, 
'That  cockade  will  be  very  little  longer  in  fashion  ; 
it  wont  last  but  a  few  days  more;  might  as  well 
be  laid  by.'  I  shall  continue  to  wear  the  cockade 
so  long  as  I  have  a  head  to  wear  a  hat,  if  agreeable 
to  myself." 

Feb.  23.  Shaw  to  Walter  in  Boston.  "  The 
election  of  President  occupied  the  House  six  days 
and  one  night.  The  choice  lay  between  Jefferson 
and  Burr. 

"On  Friday  there  was  more  warmth  and  more 
confusion  in  the  House,  than  I  ever  recollect  to 
have  perceived  there.  It  was  occasioned  by  a  res- 
olution to  censure  the  Speaker  for  turning  Smith 
out  of  the  Representatives'  apartment.  Smith  is  a 
democratic  printer  and  editor  of  a  paper  in  this 
city.  He  had  been  admitted  to  take  minutes  of  the 
proceedings.  In  one  of  his  papers  he  misstated 
something  the  Speaker  said  in  his  chair.  The  lat- 
ter took  occasion  to  rectify  the  error.  This  Smith 
resented,  and  published  in  his  next  paper  a  violent 
phillipic  against  the  Speaker,  who,  therefore,  forbid 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  141 

him  to  appear  there  again.  After  the  resolution 
was  debated  some  time,  the  previous  question  was 
moved.  Then  Livingston  rose  and  began  to  discuss 
the  main  subject.  The  Speaker  told  him  he  was 
not  in  order.  He  replied  that  he  was,  and  then  said, 
'I  appeal  to  the  House ;  I  will  see  if  they  will  sup- 
port you  in  every  thing.'  The  majority  of  the 
members  supported  the  Speaker,  much  to  their 
honor.  The  sedition  bill  is  not  continued.  This 
I  regret.  I  send  you  a  tract,  written  by  a  German,' 
which  contrasts  the  French  and  American  revolu- 
tions. The  author  seems  to  have  more  accurate 
ideas  of  the  principles  on  which  our  revolution 
was  conducted,  than  ninety-nine  out  of  a  hundred 
among  our  own  countrymen.  I  send  you,  also, 
'  Thoughts  on  the  Increasing  Wealth  of  the  United 
States,'  by  Blodget.  Duane  is  in  the  city.  The 
democratic  members  of  the  House  have  given  him 
a  dinner.  To-rnorrow  they  give  one  to  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son." 

Feb.  25.  A  joint  committee  of  the  Houses  in 
Congress  request  information  from  Mr.  Shaw  rela- 
tive to  the  furniture  of  the  President's  house,  so 
that  whatever  is  needed  may  be  supplied  with  the 
least  inconvenience  to  Jefferson's  family. 

February.  Shaw  in  Washington  to  his  aunt 
Adams.  "  I  had  the  pleasure  to  receive  your  very 
kind  letter  of  the  14th  of  February,  for  which  I 
pray  you  to  receive  my  honest  thanks.  I  should 
not  have  neglected  answering  it  till  this  late  date, 
had  I  not  been  uncommonly  occupied  in  business. 
Soon  after  you  left  us,  the  election  was  decided  in 
13* 


142  MEMORIALS    OF 

favor  of  Mr.  Jefferson  for  President.  A  majority  of 
none  of  the  New  England  States  were  finally  in  his 
favor.  For  the  legislators  of  our  country  to  be 
obliged  to  vote  either  for  Jefferson  or  Burr,  was  not 
unlike  a  man  in  the  chamber  of  a  house  on  fire  ;  if 
he  ran  down  stairs  he  would  probably  be  burnt,  if 
he  jumped  from  the  window  he  would  be  in  dan- 
ger of  breaking  his  limbs.  When  Stewart  an- 
nounced Mr.  Jefferson's  election  in  his  paper,  he 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  paragraph,  the  eagle 
reversed,  with  the  motto 'E  pluria  uno.'  I  asked 
him  what  he  meant  by  it.  His  answer  was, 

•  The  Eagle's  flight 
Is  out  of  sight.' 

"  Gentlemen  here  speak  confidently  of  the  per- 
sons who  are  to  fill  the  executive  departments. 
Samuel  Smith  gives  it  out  under  his  own  signature, 
that  Madison  will  be  Secretary  of  State,  and  Gal- 
latin  his  secretary  ;  Dearborn,  Secretary  of  War  ; 
and  Levi  Lincoln,  Attorney  General.  He  also 
stated  to  Mr.  Stoddart,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
that  this  office  had  been  offered  to  him,  and  that 
Mr.  Jefferson  remarked,  if  he  could  not  have  minis- 
ters respectable  for  talents  and  reputation,  he  would 
not  accept  the  office,  for  which  he  was  chosen. 

"  The  President  has  made  the  appointments  under 
the  new  judiciary  act,  which  are  already  announced 
in  the  papers.  The  selection  is  highly  approved." 

March  20.  Shaw  in  Quincy  to  William  Wells  in 
England.  "Your  letter  of  the  15th  November  from 
Liverpool,  I  did  not  receive  till  the  last  of  Febru- 
ary. I  had  often  thought  of  you  in  the  many  cold 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  143 

storms,  which  we  have  had  this  season,  and  had  anx- 
iously wished  to  hear  of  your  arrival  long  before 
the  welcome  guest  arrived.  Though  its  course  has 
been  long  and  devious,  it  found  a  joyful  reception 
in  the  bosom  of  your  friend.  I  rejoiced  much  to 
hear,  £  that  the  remorseless  deep  had  not  closed  o'er 
the  head  of  my  much  lov'd  Lycidas.'  Write  me 
long  and  frequent  letters.  Inform  me  about  the 
particulars  of  your  journey,  the  politics  and  litera- 
ture of  England.  Among  the  events  of  our  coun- 
try is  a  fatal  duel,  fought  by  Mr.  Rutledge  and  Dr. 
Senter.  The  latter  was  charged  with  improper 
familiarity  with  the  wife  of  the  former.  This  was 
the  subject  of  much  conversation  in  Newport.  It 
was  chiefly  occasioned  by  the  visits  of  Senter,  in 
disguise,  to  the  family  of  Rutledge  in  Weathersfield, 
Connecticut,  to  which  place  they  had  come  from 
the  South.  Last  summer,  Senter  went  to  Europe 
as  an  attendant  physician  to  a  lady  in  ill  health,  and 
returned  to  Charleston,  S.  C.  some  time  in  January. 
Rutledge  was  there  and  heard  that  Senter  had  gone 
to  his  house,  a  few  miles  from  the  city.  He  hast- 
ened thither,  and  seeing  him  in  the  hall,  discharged 
a  pistol  at  him  and  shot  away  one  of  his  fingers. 
Senter  escaped  and  returned  to  Charleston.  The 
next  day  Rutledge  followed,  found  and  challenged 
him.  They  fought  in  the  neighborhood  of  Savan- 
nah. Senter  was  disabled  by  being  wounded  in 
the  legs,  which  was  succeeded  by  the  lock-jaw  and 
his  speedy  death. 

"Congress  will  probably  adjourn  on  the  18th  or 
19th  of  April.       During    the  present  session,  they 


144  MEMORIALS    OF 

have  mostly  attended  to  alterations  of  the  Consti- 
tution as  to  the  election  of  President  and  Vice  Pres- 
ident, measures  relative  to  the  acquisition  of  the 
Louisiana  Territory,  etc.  Before  you  sailed  you 
must  have  known  the  determination  of  the  demo- 
crats to  renounce  Burr  for  their  candidate  as  Vice 
President,  at  the  next  election,  because,  they  assert, 
that  at  the  last  election,  he  intrigued  with  the  fed- 
eralists to  supplant  Jefferson,  and  to  be  chosen  Pres- 
ident himself.  They  have  accordingly  elected 
Governor  Clinton  of  New  York  to  supply  Burr's 
place. 

"Adieu  my  dear  Wells. 

'  Think  on  thy  friend  when  thou  haply  seest 
Some  rare  note,  worthy  object  of  thy  travel.'  " 

April  1.  It  appears,  that  on  this  day  Mr.  Shaw 
entered  the  office  of  William  Sullivan  of  Boston,  to 
pursue  the  study  of  law.  While  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties  as  secretary  to  President  Adams,  he 
made  himself  extensively  acquainted  with  the  char- 
acter of  public  men,  as  well  as  with  the  literature 
of  the  times.  Such  improvement  enabled  him  to 
enter  with  advantage  on  his  new  course.  Though 
turned  by  the  political  wheel  from  an  eligible  station 
to  another  more  private,  the  change  by  no  means 
abated  his  zeal  for  the  public  good,  or  discouraged 
his  efforts  of  preparation  for  his  chosen  profession. 

April  5.  From  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia. 
"  The  letter,  which  is  published  in  the  Commercial 
Gazette,  is  from  the  Washington  Federalist.  I  had 
read  it  with  great  satisfaction,  in  manuscript.  I 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  145 

hope  to  grasp  the  hand  l  that  wrote  it,  in  a  few 
months.  He  will  find  it  attended  with  inconven- 
ience to  recommence  at  the  bar.  When  he  does  it, 
the  good  people,  perhaps,  will  some  time  or  other 
choose  him  a  Representative.  It  is  not  pleasant  to 
depend  on  popular  election  for  public  employment. 

"  The  plan  you  have  adopted  for  yourself,  I  think 
judicious.  I  wish  you  much  success.  While  you 
are  reading  law,  there  may  occur  some  vacancy, 
into  which  you  may  step  from  the  office  of  your 
patron.  But  upon  this  you  cannot  calculate.  It 
matters  little,  however,  whether  there  be  few  or 
many  lawyers,  in  the  same  place,  for  business  will 
always  be  done  by  a  few.  I  am  not  much  in  the 
habit  of  expressing  the  anxiety,  which  sometimes 
perplexes  my  mind,  on  the  subject  of  my  own  pro- 
fessional success.  Two  or  three  years  must  pass 
before  I  can  reasonably  expect  that  my  business 
will  afford  me  competent  support.  Very  consolatory, 
upon  my  word.  But  of  this,  somewhat  too  much. 

"  I  send  you  the  Farmer's  Boy.  We  are  to  pass 
sentence,  this  evening,  on  a  new  historical  play, 
written  by  Charles  Ingersoll.  It  is  called  '  Edwy 
and  Elgiva.'  The  story,  you  will  remember,  is  to 
be  found  in  the  first  volume  of  Hume.  The  cast 
of  characters  you  have  enclosed,  and,  on  Monday, 
you  shall  hear  the  result.  All  the  town  are  informed 
who  wrote  the  piece,  and  it  now  stands  upon  its 
deliverance  under  less  favorable  circumstances,  than 
if  the  author  had  been  invisible." 

April  11.  From  Mr.  Shaw's  mother.  "I  suppose 
this  will  find  you  in  your  new  department,  and  I 
JJohn  Quincy  Adams. 


146  MEMORIALS   OP 

hope,  pleased  with  your  situation,  with  new  duties  to 
perform,  both  as  they  respect  yourself  and  others. 
There  are  some  duties,  which  ought  to  be  the  result 
of  fixed  principles,  and  others,  which  are  local,  and 
may  depend  on  circumstances.  Fidelity  and  pru- 
dence, industry  and  discretion,  with  obliging  man- 
ners, are  some  of  the  essentials  in  life,  and  seldom 
fail  of  gaining  the  confidence,  love  and  esteem  of 
our  fellow-travelers,  who,  with  us,  are  embarked  as 
upon  a  rough  and  dangerous  sea.  I  anticipated  all 
your  feelings  the  day  on  which  you  said  that  you 
were  to  leave  Quincy,  and  -your  dear  uncle  and 
aunt's  protection,  which  has  long  been  spread  over 
you.  The  time  you  are  stepping  into  life,  calls  for 
circumspection.  It  is  an  era  in  our  nation's  affairs, 
portentous  of  important  events." 

April  27.  From  T.  B.  Adams.  "As  a  general 
memento,  the  best  time  to  study  law  is  while  you 
are  in  the  office  of  another  person.  After  you  have 
one  of  your  own,  your  attention  and  time  will  be 
chiefly  occupied  in  attendance  on  courts.  It  was 
not  until  I  had  considerable  experience,  that  I  could 
look  upon  a  client  in  any  other  light  than  an  intru- 
der into  my  office,  and  nothing  but  his  fee  could 
persuade  me  to  the  contrary.  Jo.  Dennie  says,  that 
he  used  to  lock  his  office  door  to  keep  clients  out. 
This  is  no  violence  to  the  truth  in  his  case,  as  I 
can  readily  conceive." 

April  30.  From  T.  B.  Johnson  in  Washington. 
"  This  place,  after  the  rising  of  Congress,  and  the 
festivity  observed  in  honor  of  Mr.  Jefferson  had 
subsided,  sunk  into  a  calm.  In  this  condition  it  has 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  147 

remained  undisturbed  by  any  of  the  violent  pro- 
ceedings, which  were  expected  to  agitate  the  coun- 
try, and,  in  the  end,  bring  on  a  premature  dissolu- 
tion of  the  government.  Whether  this  state  of 
things  will  remain  any  length  of  time,  is  somewhat 
problematical.  Certain  it  is,  that  less  precipitancy 
and  much  more  caution  have  been  observed  than 
Mr.  Jefferson's  opponents  were  inclined  to  think 
could,  consistently  with  the  character  of  his  princi- 
ples and  the  publicity  of  his  declarations,  be  sup- 
ported by  him  in  a  line  of  conduct,  marked  out  for 
his  guidance.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  mo- 
tives which  have  led  to  it,  the  propriety  of  the 
step  cannot  be  disputed.  Respite  from  the  expected 
evil  is  to  be  acknowledged  with  gratitude." 

May  10.  From  T.  B.  Adams.  "The  trial  of 
persons,  indicted  for  an  assault  on  William  Duane, 
was  lately  decided  in  the  Mayor's  court.  Some 
were  fined  $120,  with  costs  of  prosecution,  and 
others  less.  You  may  remember  the  provocation, 
which  was  the  cause  of  this  chastisement,  inflicted 
by  the  members  of  several  volunteer  troops,  who 
had  served  against  the  Northampton  insurgents.  It 
was  the  refusal  of  Duane  to  give  up  the  author  of 
certain  paragraphs,  which  had  been  printed  in  the 
Aurora,  charging  those  troops  with  improper  con- 
duct during  their  expedition. 

"  Our  Governor  went,  last  Sabbath,  to  one  of  the 
Quaker  meetings  in  this  place.  No  particular  atten- 
tion was  paid  to  him,  except  making  room  for  him 
and  suite  to  sit  down.  The  Spirit  moved  an  elderly 
sisler  to  unburden  herself  of  a  few  thoughts.  She 


148  MEMORIALS    OF 

made  the  attempt,  though  without  attracting  much 
notice  or  attention  from  the  Governor,  until  she 
happened  rather  awkwardly  and  mal-apropos  to  say, 
1  We  will  not  have  this  man  to  reign  over  us.'  At 
this  time  he  roused  and  became  suddenly  a  patient 
listener  to  the  sequel,  which,  contrary  to  his  appre- 
hension, did  not  enlarge  on  that  text.  The  applica- 
tion, however,  did  not  escape  many  of  the  congre- 
gation, though  far  from  being  intended  by  the 
speaker." 

June  22.  "  It  falls  to  my  lot  to  do  things  so  re- 
pugnant to  my  feelings,  that  I  know  not  what 
apology  to  offer  for  complying;  in  opposition  to 
them,  with  the  absurd  custom  of  the  times,  which 
often  imposes  a  necessity  of  thus  betraying  my 
judgment.  What  answer  can  be  given  to  a  man 
who,  after  living  for  a  few  months  under  the  same 
roof  with  you,  though  in  no  particular  habits  of  in- 
timacy, shall  accost  you  thus :  Mr.  Adams,  have 
you  any  commands  for  Boston  ?  Are  you  going 
thither  ?  Yes.  I  know  not  that  I  have  any  par- 
ticular commands.  Will  you  give  me  some  letters 
to  your  friends?  I  will.  This  is  the  substance  of 
a  dialogue,  which  passed  between  Mr.  T.  C.  and 
myself  last  evening.  You  know  what  a  kind  of 
reputation  he  had  in  this  place  at  one  time  ;  but,  in 
justice  to  him,  I  must  say,  that  I  think  a  great  deal 
of  artificial,  malignant  censure  was  cast  upon  him. 
This  is  the  third  instance  wherein  I  have  intro- 
duced people  to  my  friends  by  solicitation.  I  have 
this  morning  a  letter  from  my  brother.1  More  than 

>J.  Q.  AdamsT" 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  149 

half  of  the  three  last  numbers  of  the  Portfolio,  are 
compiled  from  his  communications.  You  may 
know  his  mark  by  one  of  the  letters  which  make 
the  word,  Columbus,  being  at  the  bottom  of  each 
poetical  effusion." 

Sept.  2.  From  Mr.  Shaw's  mother  to  him.  "  It 
has  been  my  lot,  my  dear  son,  to  have  a  great  deal 
of  sickness  in  my  family,  from  early  life.  You,  as 
well  as  your  sisters,  have  suffered  greatly,  and 
severely  felt  the  yoke  in  your  youth.  As  God  has 
blessed  you,  of  late,  with  a  comfortable  measure  of 
health,  I  hope  that  you  will  not  be  unmindful  of 
the  favor,  but  improve  your  spared  life  to  his  honor 
by  preserving  a  "  conscience  void  of  offence," 
and  employing  your  time  and  talents  to  the  most 
useful  purposes.  I  daily  supplicate  the  Most  High, 
that  he  would  spare  to  my  declining  years,  my  yet 
two  remaining  props ;  for  I  feel,  if  they  were  taken 
away,  I  must  soon  fall.  Your  friend  Buckminster 
kept  Sabbath  with  us  here  a  fortnight  since.  We 
were  much  gratified  with  his  visit.  His  counte- 
nance is  a  fine  expression  of  his  intelligence  and 
worth.  Happy  the  parents  of  three  such  promis- 
ing children  ;  for  his  two  sisters  do  not  suffer  in 
comparison  with  him.  Lucy  Maria  has  all  the  '  je 
ne  sai  quoi,'  united  with  excellent  talents ;  and 
Eliza  has  more  than  a  common  share  of  excellences. 
Your  cousin,  Lemuel  Shaw,1  is  studying  law  in 
Boston.  He  is  a  superior  young  man.  I  wish  you 
would  cultivate  an  acquaintance  with  him." 

Sept.  20.     From  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia. 

1  The  present  Chief  Justice  of  Massachusetts. 

14 


150  MEMORIALS   OF 

"  Since  my  return,  I  have  been  more  occupied  with 
my  profession,  than  I  had  been  for  a  long  time 
before.  My  ambition  does  not  aspire  to  anything 
out  of  the  pale  of  bar-promotion  ;  but  it  is,  by  no 
means,  an  easy  task  to  attain  eminence  in  this 
sphere.  The  number  of  competitors,  added  to  the 
difficult  and  laborious  duties  in  the  exercise  of 
our  profession,  make  it  a  perfect  lottery  as  to  suc- 
cess and  profit.  Every  opportunity  I  get,  of  hold- 
ing forth  at  the  bar,  invigorates  zeal ;  but  I  have 
not  yet  vanquished  the  terrors  and  palpitations 
incident  to  inexperienced  speakers." 

Dec.  20.  William  Cranch  in  Washington  to  Mr. 
Shaw  in  Boston.  "I  see  B.  Russell  has  begun  to  pub- 
lish the  pieces,  which  appeared  in  the  Federalist1 
under  the  signature  of  '  a  friend  of  the  Constitution.' 
They  are  written  by  one  of  our  first  law  charac- 
ters. He  may,  also,  if  he  chooses,  re-print  the 
pieces  which  are  now  coming  out  in  the  same  pa- 
per, under  the  signature  of  'Lucius  Junius  Brutus,' 
as  a  supplement  to  the  other.  They  are  not  from 
the  same  pen,  but  it  is  necessary  that  the  people 
should  see  the  grounds  on  which  rests  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  judiciary,  and  the  necessity  of 
supporting  that  department  in  the  contest  which 
is  now  about  to  be  commenced.  You  will  have 
learned  by  the  papers,  that,  at  the  last  Supreme 
Court,  a  rule  was  laid  on  the  Secretary  of  State  to 
show  cause  why  a  mandamus  should  not  issue, 
commanding  him  to  deliver  the  commissions  of 
justice  of  peace  to  Wm.  Marbury,  Dennis  Ramsay 
Wm.  Harper  and  Robert  T.  Hoe,  which  were  signed 

]A  paper  published  in  Washington. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  151 

and  sealed  under  the  former  administration.  I  find 
there  is  a  determination  to  repeal  the  last  judiciary 
act,  and  to  withhold  the  appropriation  for  salaries 
for  the  judges." 

1802,  March  18.  From  John  Newman  in  Philadel- 
phia. "  Since  I  left  Washington,  which  was  on  the 
2d  January,  I  have  entered  upon  the  law  under  Mr. 
Rawle.  The  sun  of  federalism  will  soon  rise  again. 
The  people  are  beginning  to  suspect  those,  who 
have  so  long  deceived  them.  In  this  State  McKean, 
Dallas  and  Leib  have  already  lost  much  of  their 
influence.  Discord  is  in  their  camp.  The  selfish 
principle  which  connected  them  in  opposition,  loses 
its  power  in  their  scrambling  for  supremacy  among 
themselves.  I  hope  the  leaven  of  jacobinism  in 
the  Eastern  States  will  not  contaminate  the  whole 
mass.  In  the  event  of  a  dissolution  of  the  Union, 
you  will  have  a  great  accession  of  population,  if 
the  revolutionary  mania  should  not  too  deeply  infect 
you.  It  is  said  that  the  French  General,  who  is  to 
command  the  Floridas,  is  already  appointed.  If 
this  long  apprehended  cession  should  take  place,  we 
need  not  long  expect  '  peace  and  safety,'  or  even 
safety  in  peace." 

Among  the  documents  preserved  by  Mr.  Shaw, 
and  indicative  of  his  strong  love  for  literature 
and  science  and  his  deep  interest  in  the  promotion 
of  them,  which  he  ever  manifested,  is  a  subscrip- 
tion paper  dated  March  25,  1802,  for  $20,000,  as 
the  foundation  for  a  Professorship  of  Natural  History 
at  Harvard  College.  It  contains  the  names  of  the 


152  MEMORIALS  OF 

donors,  and  their  individual  contributions  to  so 
worthy  an  object. 

May  4.  From  T.  B.  Adams.  "I  have  lately 
returned  from  attending  the  Quarter  Sessions  in 
Delaware  county.  I  took  part  in  a  criminal  cause 
for  perjury.  Mr.  Joseph  Hemphill,  a  member  of 
Congress  in  our  delegation,  whose  argument  on 
the  judiciary  bill  this  session  obtained  so  much 
applause,  has  hitherto  resided  in  the  county  of 
Delaware,  and  frequented  the  courts  in  this  vicinity. 
He  is  a  plain  young  man,  both  in  dress  and  man- 
ners. Though  he  is  usually  considered  as  of  the 
Society  of  the  Friends,  he  is  in  reality  of  the 
Church  of  England.  I  saw  and  conversed  with 
him  often,  and  am  much  gratified  by  his  acquaint- 
ance. He  purposes  coming  very  shortly  to  estab- 
lish himself  in  the  city.  Sam.  Ewing,  who  is 
now  leaning  on  my  window,  sends  his  best  regards 
to  yon.  Did  you  notice,  some  time  ago,  a  satire  on 
some  toasts,  which  were  drank  at  a  feast  given 
by  R.  Peale,  in  the  Skeleton  of  the  Mammoth  ? 
Ewing  wrote  it  at  my  instance,  and  it  had  a  good 
effect.77 

June  13.  From  the  same  in  Philadelphia.  "  I 
received  your  short  note,  accompanying  the  ora- 
tion delivered  by  my  brother1  before  the  Charitable 
Fire  Association,  and  thank  you  for  your  prompt- 
ness in  forwarding  it  to  me.  I  am  yet  to  hear  from 
you  in  reply  to  some  of  my  inquiries.  You  have 
certainly  lost  that  kakoethes  scribendi,  which  was 
wont  to  beset  you  so  easily.  I  remember  to  have 
predicted  your  recovery  from  the  disorder  at  no 
1 J.  Q.  Adams. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  153 

very  remote  period.  The  newspapers  will  have 
informed  you  that  a  work  entitled,  The  History  of 
the  Administration  of  John  Adams,  and  an  account 
of  the  suppression  of  the  same  by  Colonel  Burr,  are 
now  selling  in  New  York  and  in  this  city.  The 
author  was  so  well  aware  of  the  nothingness  of 
his  compilation,  merely  from  democratic  jour- 
nals, that  he  became  the  willing  instrument  of 
Colonel  Burr,  who  hired  him  to  suppress  it ; 
but  falling  out  with  his  employer,  he  then  had 
it  printed.  There  are  hundreds  of  libellous  ex- 
pressions and  passages  throughout  j  but  what  is  a 
little  singular  is,  that  Colonel  Hamilton  and  Gen- 
eral Pinckney  are  both  extolled  in  character  and 
person.  Their  biography  is  taken  from  federal 
prints,  and  interlarded,  here  and  there,  with  an  abu- 
sive and  scandalous  anecdote.  The  utmost  malig- 
nity and  scurrillity  of  the  writer  is  directed  at  John 
Adams ;  but  there  is  no  word  of  it,  that  will  be 
credited  by  a  single  candid  person.  The  news- 
paper of  last  night  says,  that  the  noted  John  Wood, 
author,  etc.  has  absconded.  We  have  just  entered 
upon  summer  weather  here.  Apprehensions  of  the 
yellow  fever  are  stronger  here  this  year  than  ever, 
on  account  of  the  troops  in  the  West  Indies. 
Yesterday,  I  delivered  Mr.  William  Lee  two  of 
young  Charles  Jared  Ingersoll's  tragedy,  one  for 
you  and  one  for  my  mother.  It  gives  me  pleasure 
to  hear  that  you  are  so  eligibly  situated  in  Boston. 
Dennie  lives  out  near  the  bettering-house,  which 
you  know  is  close  by  the  hospital,  at  his  printer's 
residence,  and  we  seldom  see  him." 
14* 


154  MEMORIALS   OF 

June  28.  "  I  will  send  you  { the  history '  by  the 
first  opportunity,  perhaps  by  water.  Colonel  Burr 
never  contracted  to  pay  $1,000  for  its  suppression. 
He  may  have  offered  to  give  something,  which 
never  was  paid.  But  the  rivalship  of  Clinton  must 
have  come  out  at  all  events.  The  narrative  was 
only  a  sort  of  warming-pan  to  the  history.  I  am 
pleased  to  hear  that  J.  Q,.  A.  was  the  cause  of  the 
failure  of  the  Statue  to  Washington,  by  substitu- 
ting marble  for  bronze.  I  do  not  believe  he  intend- 
ed to  defeat  the  plan  by  his  suggestion,  but  I  am 
the  better  pleased  on  that  account.  I  am  entirely 
dissatisfied  with  the  mode  of  such  attempts  to 
honor  the  memory  of  Washington." 

Aug.  8.  Richard  Peters,  Jr.,  in  Philadelphia,  to 
Shaw  in  Boston.  "Your  progress  in  the  law,  I 
hope,  is  rapid.  By  this  time  you  have  passed  the 
most  rugged  parts  of  the  course.  Our  friend1  has 
no  doubt  informed  you  of  our  political  discomfiture. 
Gloomy  as  the  picture  of  Pennsylvania  now  is,  I 
fear  its  shades  will  become  still  darker.  I  observe 
the  dismissal  of  Mr.  Otis.2  His  political  opponents 
were  too  sharp  for  their  own  power,  to  suffer  his 
continuance. 

11  You  must  observe,  with  regret,  the  change  in 
Dennie.  I  have  long  defended  him,  but  I  can  do  it 
no  more.  His  last  Portfolio  praises  Hamilton  at  the 
expense  of  the  great  Washington." 

August.  From  John  Adams,  late  President,  on 
"Remarks  in  the  National  Intelligencer  of  Aug.  4, 
1802."  "  It  has  been  often  said,  and  as  often  de- 
nied, that  there  are  men  in  this  country  attached  to 
1  T.  B.  Adams.  2  Samuel  A.  Otis. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  155 

democracy,  simple  democracy — to  a  government  in 
every  State,  of  a  single  assembly  of  Representatives, 
without  a  Senate  and  without  a  Governor  ;  to  a  gov- 
ernment of  the  nation  in  a  Congress  of  Delegates 
in  one  House,  without  a  Senate  and  without  a  Presi- 
dent. The  charge  is  supported  by  the  declarations 
of  numbers  from  Shays's  rebellion  and  the  votes  of 
county  conventions,  down  to  the  letter  to  Mazzei, 
to  the  efforts  in  the  House  of  Representatives  to  set 
aside  the  treaty  with  England,  and  many  other 
actions  and  declarations  of  individuals  to  this  day. 
Whether  the  writer  of  the  remarks  is  capable  of 
comprehending  it  or  not,  there  is  a  distinction  be- 
tween an  attachment  to  monarchy,  and  an  opinion 
that  it  will,  in  some  nations  and  at  certain  periods, 
prevail ;  and  that  no  human  wisdom  or  virtue  in 
existence  can  prevent  it.  Cato  was  never  suspected 
of  any  attachment  to  monarchy.  His  death  was  a 
full  proof  of  two  points.  1.  That  he  detested  and 
dreaded  monarchy  more  than  death.  2.  That  he 
was  fully  convinced,  that  monarchy  in  the  person 
of  Caesar,  could  not  be  prevented  in  Rome.  Men's 
opinions  are  not  always  conformable  to  their  wishes. 
Some  have  understandings  as  well  as  affections. 

"  Abstract  opinions  in  favor  of  monarchy  or  de- 
mocracy may  exist  without  injury  to  the  state. 
Plato  and  Aristotle  declare  freely  in  their  writings 
a  veneration  for  kingly  government.  Yet,  in  the 
most  democratical  governments  of  Greece,  they 
were  not  persecuted.  An  end  will  be  put  to  all 
liberty  of  thought  as  well  as  speech,  if  Duane,  Cal- 
lender,  Lyon,  Cooper,  Cheetham,  Wood,  in  short,  all 


156  MEMORIALS   OF 

the  dogs  of  the  mob  are  to  be  let  loose  upon  every 
man  who  dares  to  speculate  upon  principles  or  sys- 
tems of  government.  The  change  of  the  last  ad- 
ministration was  in  a  very  small  degree  affected  by 
any  sentiment  that  there  were  men  in  the  govern- 
ment whose  views  were  subversive  of  republican- 
ism ;  because  the  very  men,  who  endeavored  to 
propagate  such  a  sentiment,  did  not  believe  them- 
selves, and  were  riot  credited  by  others.  Many  of 
these  men  were  known  to  be  more  inclined  to  mo- 
narchical opinions,  than  those  whom  they  accused. 
Many  of  these  men  were  known  to  have  often  de- 
clared their  opinions,  that  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  was  defective,  because  it  had  not  an 
hereditary  President  and  an  hereditary  Senate. 
Others  had  been  known  to  declare  that  no  form  of 
government  was  worth  any  thing,  but  that  of  king, 
lords  and  commons.  Some  had  even  said  that  we 
ought  to  have  a  monarchy  in  this  country  in  the 
person  of  one  of  the  princes  of  England.  This 
kind  of  speeches  and  opinions  has  been  oftener 
uttered  by  those  who  are  called  republicans,  and 
are  now  possessed  of  power  in  the  States,  than  by 
federalists.  The  change  of  administration  in  this 
country  was  effected  by  the  federalists  themselves  ; 
not  by  any  change  in  favor  of  republicanism  in  the 
people,  nor  by  any  opinion  that  the  new  President 
was  more  of  a  republican  than  the  former  one.  But 
this  is  a  subject  that  may  be  developed  hereafter. 

"  Are  our  court  gazettes  then  prepared  to  say  that 
1  liberty  has  vanished  from  France  '  ;  that  the  first 
consul  is  an  usurper ;  that  '  the  French  nation  have 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  157 

submitted  every  political  right  to  the  mercy  of  the 
sword ' ;  that  '  the  republic  is  subverted  and  mon- 
archy has  returned  '  ?  This  language  is  as  remote 
from  any  tendency  to  preserve  the  friendship  be- 
tween this  country  and  France,  as  it  is  from  the 
truth.  The  government  of  France  is  at  least  as 
republican  now,  as  it  ever  has  been  since  the  death 
of  the  king,  or  since  the  subversion  of  the  monarchy, 
or  indeed  since  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  of 
Notables  in  1786.  It  answers  the  ends  of  govern- 
ment in  preserving  personal  liberty,  private  property, 
and  the  peace,  order,  tranquillity  and  happiness  of 
society,  better  than  any  republican  constitution  that 
nation  ever  has  enjoyed,  and  as  well  as  any  it  will 
probably  ever  have.  This  mighty  transformation 
has  been  effected  without  violence  or  contention, 
by  the  voice  of  the  people,  by  the  general  sense, 
and  the  public  opinion.  The  people  of  France  are 
weary  of  blood,  disgusted  with  murder,  and  indig- 
nant at  rapine.  They  have  seen  and  felt,  and  are 
at  length  convinced  with  an  unanimity  that  is  very 
remarkable,  that  democracy,  without  control,  would 
depopulate  and  desolate  France.  They  have  stop- 
ped in  their  career  of  enthusiasm  and  delirium,  and 
are  restored  in  some  measure  to  their  right  minds. 
"  What  connection  there  is  between  the  returning 
reason  of  the  French  people  and  the  publication  of 
these  letters,  it  is  not  easy  to  imagine.  These  let- 
ters are  calculated,  in  every  sentence  and  every 
word  of  them,  to  preserve  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  from  deviating  into  monarchy  on  one 
hand,  and  democracy  on  the  other.  If  the  balance 


158  MEMORIALS   OF 

of  our  government  was  destroyed  and  the  weight  all 
placed  in  the  democratical  scale,  nothing  is  more 
certain  than  that  all  the  confusions  and  horrors  of 
France,  for  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  past,  must  be 
our  lot,  and  nothing  could  relieve  us  from  them  but 
a  civil  war,  or  a  victorious  army ;  unless  the  people 
should  suddenly  recover  their  reason  and  restore  the 
equilibrium  of  the  government.  These  letters  were 
written  twelve  years  ago,  from  an  apprehension  that 
the  contagion  of  a  French  delirium  might  seize  the 
passions  of  the  American  people,  and  excite  them  to 
destroy  their  present  constitution,  annihilate  the 
President's  office,  the  Senate  of  the  United  States, 
the  Governors  and  Senates  of  the  individual  States, 
and  the  independent  judiciaries  in  all  of  them. 

"  The  publication  of  these  letters  is  another  affair. 
They  had  been  long  forgotten,  and  would  probably 
have  never  been  again  read  or  seen  by  the  writer, 
had  he  not  been  informed,  that  last  winter  certain 
persons  in  Boston  were  handing  them  about,  show- 
ing sentences  or  half  sentences,  and  misrepresent- 
ing them,  not  only  in  democratical  clubs,  but  to 
lawyers  and  judges  during  their  terms.  This  inform- 
ation alone  occasioned  some  old  letter  books  to  be 
searched,  and  these  copies  to  be  published.  They 
contain  no  sentiments  which  the  writer  ever  con- 
cealed. He  held  them  in  1776,  when  his  letter  to 
Mr.  Wythe  was  published.  He  held  them  openly 
and  publicly  in  1779,  when  in  the  Convention 
which  formed  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. They  run  through  the  three  volumes 
of  his  Defence  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  159 

States,  and  have  been  frankly  professed  and  avowed, 
in  public  and  private,  on  all  occasions  for  six  and 
twenty  years.  A  greater  falsehood  cannot  be  com- 
mitted to  writing,  than  is  contained  in  these  words  : 
{  Hitherto  they  have  courted  the  obscurity  of  a  rigid 
concealment.'  " 

Sept.  13.  From  T.  B.  Adams  in  Philadelphia. 
"Accept  my  hearty  thanks  for  the  favorable  account 
your  letter  contains,  of  my  mother's  convalescence. 
It  is  indeed  grateful  intelligence,  and  serves  to  con- 
sole me  under  the  painful  prospect  of  being  forced 
to  flee  from  this  infected  city.  You  will  see  that 
the  board  of  health,  or  rather  board  of  pesti- 
lence, have  at  last  come  out,  after  being  threatened 
by  Duane,  that  he  would  report,  if  they  did  not. 
They  confirm  all  our  fears  respecting  the  prevalence 
of  the  (yellow)  fever  here." 

Some  items  from  Mr.  Shaw's  diary. 

Oct.  3.  "  In  the  evening  at  Mr.  Emerson's.1 
Conversed  on  books  and  politics.  Mr.  E.  is  very 
sanguine  that  there  will  be  a  great  alteration  favor- 
able to  federalism  in  the  next  Congress.  I  wish  it 
may  be  so,  but  I  doubt  it  strongly." 

Oct.  4.  "Dined  with  Dwight,  Walter,  Wells,  Sum- 
ner  and  Chapman.  After  dinner,  we  held  an  anima- 
ted discussion  about  the  division,  which  took  place 
among  the  federalists.  Dwight  is  a  young  man, 
who  has  just  completed  his  professional  studies  as  a 
lawyer,  with  Mr.  Ames  of  Dedham.  He  is  talented, 
and  endowed  with  many  attractive  qualities." 

Oct.  6.  uMr.  Q,uincy  has  gone  to  pass  a  few  weeks 
on  his  farm,  during  the  continuance  of  the  yellow 

1  Rev.  Wm.  Emerson,  of  First  Church  in  Boston. 


160  MEMORIALS  OF 

fever  in  town.  It  has  prevailed  considerably  where 
he  resides.  Walter  sets  out  to-morrow  on  a  tour 
to  the  southward,  preparatory  to  a  voyage  for 
Europe.  He  has  letters  which  will  introduce  him  to 
gentlemen  of  respectability,  and  thus  render  his  jour- 
ney pleasant  and  improving.  Ever  since  our  sopho- 
more year  in  college,  we  have  been  connected  by  the 
strongest  ties  of  friendship.  Excepting  Wells,  I 
could  part  with  every  young  man  in  town,  and  feel 
less  solitary,  than  I  shall  now  by  the  absence  of 
Walter." 

Oct.  8.  "  Spent  the  forenoon  principally  with 
Channing,  who  came  from  Cambridge  to  see  me. 
We  called  on  Salisbury,  who  has  lately  returned 
from  a  visit  to  Europe." 

Oct.  17.  "  Miss  Gray  told  me,  that  she  had  been 
in  company  with  Gideon  Granger,  Post  Master  Gen- 
eral, who  has  been  on  a  visit  to  Boston;  who 
expresses  an  opinion,  that  the  New  England  States 
will  never  become  republicanized  till  they  have  a 
college  instituted  with  republican  instructors ;  and 
who  complains  bitterly,  that  our  papers  abuse  Jeffer- 
son and  the  present  administration." 

Nov.  1.  "  This  day  the  Representatives  for  Con- 
gress are  to  be  chosen  throughout  the  State.  Dr. 
Eustis  and  Mr.  J.  Q,.  Adams  are  the  candidates.  I 
went  to  the  meeting  about  10  o'clock,  and  continued 
there  all  the  morning.  There  was  a  great  crowd 
at  the  Hall,  and  much  confusion.  It  was  almost 
impossible  to  put  in  a  vote.  The  poll  closed  at 
two.  It  was  found  that  there  were  1,496  for  Mr. 
Adams,  and  1,430  for  Dr.  Eustis.  This  small 


WILLIAM  SMITH    SHAW.  161 

majority  in  Boston,  is  indicative  that  the  Doctor's 
election  is  secured.  In  the  evening,  much  depressed 
at  the  result  of  to-day's  voting." 

Oct.  13.  Walter  in  Philadelphia  to  Shaw  in  Bos- 
ton. "  Here  I  am  at  last,  in  the  real  capital  of  our 
country.  It  is  always  difficult  for  a  stranger  to 
express  his  sensations  of  any  place,  because  first 
impressions  are  not  always  to  be  trusted.  The 
charms  of  novelty  must  finally  give  place  to  sober 
knowledge  of  experience,  and  the  dictates  of  calm 
investigation  must  be  resigned  to  a  cool  judgment, 
arising  from  extensive  surveys  of  comparative 
excellence." 

Oct.  30.  "  I  wrote  you  one  or  two  days  ago  from 
Baltimore,  which  is  a  fine  city.  Its  commercial 
confidence  and  credit  have  been  very  much  injured 
by  numerous  bankruptcies.  Mr.  Harper1  had  gone 
to  Annapolis,  so  that  I  had  not  the  pleasure  of  see- 
ing that  highly  federal  character.  I  traveled  with 
Captain  Preble.  He  is  an  agreeable  man.  Tom 
Paine  has  arrived.  I  believe  he  came  in  a  vessel  to 
Baltimore." 

Dec.  22.  From  Walter  in  Liverpool.  "  I  have 
the  pleasure  of  informing  you  of  my  safe  arrival 
here  after  a  passage  of  twenty-six  days.  Liverpool 
is  a  place  for  the  slave-trade.  It  is  dirty,  smoky 
and  disagreeable.  At  9  o'clock  this  morning  I  was 
writing  by  candle  light.  Yesterday  I  was  at  the 
Athenaeum,  a  handsome  room  for  the  reading  of 
newspapers  and  magazines,  with  a  good  library. 
The  genteel  part  of  the  inhabitants  frequent  the 

1  Robert  Goodloe  Harper. 
15 


162  WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW. 

library  and  read,  for  books  are  not  allowed  to  be 
taken  away.  If  I  stay  in  town  a  few  days,  I  shall 
see  Roscoe.  I  have  a  letter  to  a  very  intimate 
friend  of  his.  He  is  a  plain,  grave  looking  man, 
silent  in  company,  and  rich.  He  does  not  now 
practice  law,  though  that  is  his  regular  profession. 
Chapman  desires  to  be  affectionately  remembered. 
He. is  a  worthy  friend." 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Samuel  Adams  against  Paine's  "  Age  of  Reason  "—Navigation  of 
the  Mississippi— Marshall's  Washington— American  Literature — 
Austin's  Letters— Invasion  of  England— History  of  Foreign  Af- 
fairs—Proposal of  Bonaparte  to  Louis  XVI.,  that  he  abdicate — 
Gillie's  Remark  on  President  Adams— Irish  Rebellion— Abbe  de 
Lille— Southey— Coleridge— French  Preparations— Invitation. 

1803,  Feb.  4.  Shaw  in  Boston  to  Walter  in 
London.  "  Our  friend  Channing  is  now  at  New- 
port, where  he  has  resided  for  the  last  six  weeks. 
Immediately  after  your  departure  he  preached  three 
Sabbaths  in  Brattle  street  church,  to  crowded 
audiences  and  to  the  delight  of  every  one.  Both 
churches  have  invited  him  to  settle  with  them,  and 
each  were  zealous  that  he  should  accept  their  invi- 
tation. He  has  negatived  the  call  of  Brattle  street. 
He  will  probably  comply  with  the  desire  of  Federal 
street.  This  parish  have  offered  twenty-five  dollars 
a  Sabbath,  his  house  and  wood,  which  is  equal  to 
the  salary  of  any  clergyman  in  town,  and  superior 
to  that  of  most.  He  has,  I  think,  judged  wisely  in  not 
undertaking  the  entire  charge  of  so  large  a  congrega- 
tion as  Brattle  street.  Such  a  situation  would  be  too 
great  a  tax  on  his  physical  powers;  would  allow  him 
little  opportunity  for  the  studies  essential  for  excel- 
lence in  his  profession.  Profound  learning  adds 


164  MEMORIALS    OF 

dignity  and  lustre  to  every  character  and  calling 
with  which  it  is  connected.  I  have  often  thought, 
that  a  pastor  has  more  stimulating  motives  to  acquire 
knowledge  than  any  other.  He  has  little  commerce 
with  the  world  except  to  instruct  and  edify.  His 
Sabbath  labors  give  him  an  opportunity  to  bring  all 
his  intellectual  acquirements  into  frequent  application 
and  immediate  usefulness.  Thus  he  is  enabled  not 
merely  to  please  his  hearers,  but  to  enlighten  them 
in  their  most  important  interests;  to  enforce  on 
their  minds  and  hearts  the  truths  of  the  sacred 
oracles,  and  the  necessity  of  devotedness  to  the 
Supreme,  as  the  great  end  of  their  being. 

"  Tom  Paine,  soon  after  his  arrival,  excited  much 
displeasure  against  himself,  by  the  publication  of 
his  letters.  His  party  soon  discovered  that  he  was 
doing  them  great  injury,  and  induced  him  to  lay 
aside  his  pen.  The  Aurora  left  out  all  which  he 
said  in  his  third  letter  about  religion.  We  had  not 
heard  of  him  for  some  time  till  last  night's  mail 
brought  us  S.  Smith's  paper  with  a  letter  from 
Samuel  Adams  and  Paine's  answer.  Mr.  Adams 
allows  Paine  merit  for  his  service  in  our  Revolution, 
but  severely  reprimands  him  for  writing  his  "  Age 
of  Reason."  I  send  you,  with  the  papers  and 
pamphlets,  three  of  Mr.  Adams's  orations.  Please 
to  hand  one  to  Dana  with  my  best  wishes." 

Feb.  20.  "As  to  the  secrecy  of  Congress,  we 
generally  suppose  that  the  breach  of  the  treaty  by 
Spain,  in  the  occlusion  of  the  port  of  New  Orleans, 
has  been  the  subject  before  them.  The  resolution 
of  Mr.  Griswold  and  four  others,  respecting  the 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  165 

navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  obstructed  by  the  late 
regulations  at  New  Orleans,  was  suspended  by  the 
motion  of  Randolph.  The  violation  of  the  treaty 
is  peculiarly  oppressive  to  the  inhabitants  of  Ohio, 
Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Mississippi  territory. 
Kentucky  has  already  sent  a  memorial  to  Congress. 
So  essential  is  the  injury  done  to  this  people,  that 
unless  the  obstruction  is  immediately  removed,  it 
has  been  suggested,  that  nothing  can  prevent  them 
from  recourse  to  arms.  Their  commercial  and 
agricultural  prosperity  entirely  depends  on  the  free 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi.  It  is  the  only 
channel  of  communication  which  the  immense  and 
fertile  country  of  the  West  has  with  the  sea.  It 
absolutely  needs  New  Orleans,  as  the  depot  for  the 
surplus  of  its  productions." 

Feb.  27.  "  We  have  just  received  from  Wash- 
ington a  letter  from  the  Spanish  minister  to  the 
Secretary  of  State,  in  which  he  gives  the  informa- 
tion, l  that  his  king  has  provided,  that  the  deposit 
should  continue  at  New  Orleans,  until  the  two  gov- 
ernments shall  come  to  an  agreement  about  another 
equivalent  place.'  " 

March  2.  "Channing  has  given  up  his  regency 
at  Cambridge,  and  resides  altogether  in  Boston.  At 
present,  he  is  in  the  family  of  young  Stephen  Hig- 
ginson.  His  health  is  much  better  than  when  you 
saw  him  last.  He  will  probably  be  settled  in 
Federal  street  in  about  a  month.  I  pray  God  that 
his  health  may  be  perfectly  restored  to  him.  I  am 
confident  that  nothing  but  the  want  of  such  a 
blessing  will  prevent  him  from  being  supereminently 
15* 


166  MEMORIALS   OF 

useful  in  his  profession.  To  this,  his  attach- 
ment increases  as  he  advances  in  its  duties  ;  of 
which,  some  would  say,  his  ideas  were  even  enthu- 
siastic. We  both  know  the  wisdom  of  his  head 
and  the  goodness  of  his  heart." 

March  4.  From  C.  P.  Wayne  in  Philadelphia. 
"  By  this  day's  mail  I  was  favored  with  your  letter 
of  the  25th  ult.,  containing  the  names  of  seventy-two 
of  the  most  respectable  gentlemen  of  Boston  and 
vicinity.  I  tender  you  my  thanks  for  your  polite 
and  disinterested  assistance,  in  conjunction  with 
Colonel  May.1  The  work2  has  been  attended  with 
great  expense.  I  expected  that  the  printing  of  it 
would  have  been  begun  on  Tuesday  last,  but,  from 
a  variety  of  circumstances,  it  will  be  delayed  a  little 
while.  It  will  go  on  with  as  much  expedition  as 
the  nature  of  it  will  allow  after  it  is  commenced  j 
but  it  depends  on  the  number  to  be  printed, 
whether  a  volume  will  appear  once  a  month,  or  in 
two  or  three  months  j  and  until  the  returns  of  sub- 
scribers are  made  from  all  quarters,  nothing  explicit 
can  be  said  on  this  point.  Besides  the  four  or  five 
volumes  octavo,  there  will  be  an  Atlas  of  from  twenty 
to  thirty  engravings,  a  plan  of  the  different  engage- 
ments in  the  Revolution;  but  no  charge  will  be  made 
for  these,  independent  of  the  price  for  the  volumes. 
A  handsome  portrait  of  the  General,  from  Stewart's 
by  Edwin,  will  be  in  the  first  volume.  The  work 
will  commence  with  a  concise  account  of  the  coloni- 
zation of  the  country  and  its  history  up  to  the  birth 
of  the  General,  continued  with  his  birth,  early  life 

1  Joseph  May.    2  Life  of  Washington  by  Marshall. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  167 

and  gallant  behavior  in  the  old  Indian  war,  with 
the  events  of  this  contest  ;  the  measures  which  led 
to  the  Revolution  and  an  ample  relation  of  the  war 
which  succeeded,  with  an  authentic  biography  of 
the  General  to  the  period  of  his  demise.  Judge 
Washington  informed  me,  that  this  work  would  be 
composed  from  eleven  trunks  of  public  and  three  of 
private  papers,  left  by  the  General.  Any  further 
assistance  you  may  be  pleased  to  bestow,  will  add 
to  the  favor  already  conferred." 

April  1.  From  Walter  in  London  to  William  E. 
Channing  in  Boston.  "  Do  you  think  I  love  not 
your  moral  preaching  ?  To  me  it  is  very  pleasant, 
because  it  confirms  my  notions  of  right,  and  always 
sets  me  in  the  path  of  true  happiness.  I  know  of 
no  reading  more  delightful  than  the  inspirations  of 
holy  men,  who  seem  to  have  caught  the  doctrines 
of  eternal  truth  from  reflecting  on  the  perfections  of 
the  High  and  Holy  One.  I  have  lately  been  read- 
ing Smith's  Moral  Sentiments,  in  admiration  of 
which  I  perfectly  concur  with  my  excellent  friend, 
Wells.  Truth  is  the  object  of  my  most  serious 
researches.  The  Deity  is  surrounded  with  it,  as 
with  an  holy,  undefiled  essence  ;  and  whenever  I 
can  meet  with  it,  I  make  it  my  study  and  my  con- 
templation. 

11 1  am  glad  that  you  and  Shaw  are  making 
excursions  into  literature.  I  would  I  were  with  you, 
to  participate  the  labor  and  the  pleasure.  I  want  my 
country  to  do  something  in  this  cause.  It  is  high 
time  that  the  young  Hercules,  who  has  strangled 
the  serpents,  should  go  forth  in  the  plenitude  of 


168  MEMORIALS    OF 

muscular  force,  and  perform  the  mighty  labors 
assigned  to  him.  American  literature  ought  to  bud, 
it  ought  to  promise  future  fruits  of  Hesperian  luxu- 
riance." 

April  20.  From  Shaw  to  Walter.  "  Gilbert  and 
Dean  publish  in  this  town,  every  Saturday  evening, 
a  literary,  religious  paper.  They  have  had  consid- 
erable encouragement.  Mrs.  Murray  and  Mrs.  Raw- 
son  are  the  principal  writers.  Our  classmate,  Story, 
has  become  more  engaged  in  politics,  than  even  be- 
fore you  left  for  Europe.  We  have  a  new  bank. 
It  is  called  the  Boston  Bank.  They  have  taken  the 
building  in  which  Messrs.  Lowell  and  Otis  had  their 
Qffices,  and  where  the  Union  Bank  was  formerly 
kept.  The  elections  seem  to  favor  the  position, 
that  federalism  is  gaining  ground.  Neither  history 
nor  our  own  experience  justify  us  in  the  belief, 
that  the  people  give  their  votes  on  principles,  drawn 
from  reason  and  reflection,  to  any  system  of  policy. 
Nothing  is  more  fallacious  than  the  whole  business 
of  politics." 

May  4.  From  various  papers  in  Mr.  Shaw's  hands 
it  appears,  that  prior  to  this  date  and  afterwards, 
extensive  exertions  were  made  through  the  United 
States,  to  obtain  subscriptions  of  one  dollar  a  person 
for  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  Washington. 
The  movement  of  Congress,  on  the  same  subject, 
had  been  ineffectual.  A  considerable  sum,  on  the 
popular  plan,  was  laid  out  for  bank-stock  in  the 
name  of  Bushrod  Washington  and  associates,  as 
trustees  for  the  concern.  Much  spirit,  in  which 
Mr.  Shaw  partook  largely,  was  exhibited  in  Boston 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  169 

to  advance  the  enterprise.  The  general  agent  was 
Samuel  Blodget. 

June  11.  Shaw  to  Walter  in  London.  "  I  was 
delighted  to  see  in  your  letter  the  honest  expression 
of  attachment  to  your  country.  This,  as  you  will 
find,  absence  will  increase.  Whatever  celebrity 
our  countrymen  may  have  acquired  for  the  rougher 
virtues,  I  agree  with  you,  that  she  is  deficient  in 
literature  and  science.  So  she  will  continue  till 
these  pursuits  are  more  liberally  encouraged.  I  be- 
lieve that  this  is  not  owing  to  any  physical  defect 
in  Americans.  We  have  many  men  among  us,  who 
would  not  suffer,  if  compared  in  point  of  genius, 
with  the  most  renowned  men  of  Greece  and  Rome, 
of  France  and  England.  Erudition  must  first  be- 
come the  object  of  ambition  with  our  countrymen 
before  they  will  attain  to  eminence.  It  was  near 
six  hundred  years  after  the  foundation  of  Rome, 
before  she  produced  any  celebrated  poets.  Then 
such  authors  were  in  low  repute.  Cato  censured 
the  Consul,  Marcus  Nobilior,  for  taking  with  him 
the  poet  Ennius,  into  his  province  of  Etolia.  Still 
there  must  have  been  geniuses,  at  that  very  period, 
in  Rome,  equal  to  those  of  the  noted  poets  in 
Greece. 

"  I  send  you  a  poem,  called  "  Boston,"  by  Win- 
throp  Sargent,  who  was  author  of  several  effusions 
under  the  signature  of  Amyntas,  which  appeared  in 
our  papers.  Our  friend  Channing  was  ordained 
over  the  Federal  street  church,  the  first  of  June. 
Dr.  Tappan  preached  an  excellent  sermon  on  the 


170  MEMORIALS  OF 

occasion.  Our  classmate,  Tucker-man,  gave  the 
right  hand  of  fellowship  very  acceptably." 

June  15.  From  Walter.  "  Allston  the  other  day 
dined  with  young  Peters  at  Mr.  Trumbull's.  I  sup- 
posed, on  hearing  the  name,  that  it  was  the  person 
of  whom  you  had  often  spoken  to  me  in  Boston* 
Allston  and  myself  intend  calling  on  him  next 
week.  He  does  not  stay  here  long,  but  goes  to 
Paris  in  two  or  three  weeks.  Austin  goes  on  with 
his  letters.  They  will  not,  however,  be  published 
before  next  November,  as  he  told  me.  I  read  one 
of  the  letters  the  other  evening.  Dana  and  Allston 
liked  it.  You  will  wait  to  form  an  opinion  for 
yourself." 

June  23.  Letter  from  the  mother  of  Shaw. 
Speaking  of  a  lawyer  at  Haverhill,  she  says,  that 
"he  regretted  not  having  accustomed  himself  to 
public  speaking  at  his  first  entrance  into  his  busi- 
ness. By  the  errors  and  excellences  of  others,  the 
young  should  learn  wisdom.  It  must  be  a  happy 
circumstance  to  have  your  beloved  friend  for  your 
pastor.  I  hope  his  precepts  will  have  a  deep  im- 
pression on  your  heart.  It  is  lovely,  my  son,  to  be 
good  from  education  and  habit,  but  there  is  some- 
thing still  more  excellent,  and  that  is,  to  be  good 
from  a  conviction  of  duty  to  God  and  ourselves. 
Favorable  gales  have  hitherto  attended  your  course. 
To  Heaven  I  will  still  look,  that  you  may  be  guided 
to  duty  and  usefulness." 

July  11.  From  Walter  in  London.  "Political 
affairs  are  in  statu  quo.  Bonaparte  is  making  the 
tour  of  his  dominions,  surveying  the  fortresses  and 


WILLIAM   SMITH    SHAW.  171 

forming  his  encampments.  There  is  no  doubt 
entertained  here,  that  he  will  attempt  an  invasion  j 
but  the  making  of  gun-boats  and  frigates  is  very 
slow  in  France,  though  the  subscriptions  are  numer- 
ous. However,  their  actual  force  is  formidable.  In 
this  city  hand-bills  are  stuck  up  in  various  public 
places,  calling  on  the  people  to  be  prepared,  deter- 
mined and  brave.  One  piece  is  signed  Publicola, 
and  is  well  written,  reciting  a  variety  of  reasons 
why  the  English  should  be  patriotic  and  brave,  and 
calling  to  their  minds  the  deeds  of  the  Henries  and 
Edwards.  Whenever  the  subject  of  invasion  is  dis- 
cussed in  the  House  of  Commons,  the  gallery  doors 
are  always  closed,  in  order  to  prevent  any  informa- 
tion from  being  conveyed  to  the  enemy.  Various 
gentlemen  in  the  House,  particularly  Mr.  Wyndham 
and  Col.  Crawford,  think  and  declare  an  invasion  is 
practicable,  and  that  the  danger  is  great.  These 
honorable  Senators  have  awakened  the  public  mind 
to  a  high  sense  of  the  serious  situation  of  the  coun- 
try, and  the  ministry  have  taken  all  possible  precau- 
tions to  guard  against  any  attempt.  The  Secretary 
of  War  is  preparing  a  bill,  by  which  every  English- 
man will  be  obliged  to  perform  certain  military 
duties  in  his  town  or  county,  so  that  the  nation  will 
be  completely  a  vast  army,  independently  of  more 
than  300,000  men,  who  are  either  regulars,  or  to  be 
a  perfectly  organized  militia.  Such  are  the  affairs 
of  this  kingdom,  the  great  bulwark  against  the 
gigantic,  unmeasured  ambition  of  France.  I  wish 
them  every  honor  and  every  success  in  the  trying 
time  of  the  present,  and  in  the  emergency  of  the 


]72  MEMORIALS   OF 

future  struggle.  Austin  dined  with  Erving  and 
others  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  I  believe  it  was  a 
democratic  party." 

July.  Shaw  to  Waiter.  "  I  coincide  with  you 
you,  that  the  history  of  our  Revolution  has  not  been 
properly  executed.  The  authors  are  partial.  They 
have  their  favorites,  and  have  made  them  the  heroes 
of  their  story,  to  the  disparagement  of  truth.  The 
Revolution,  so  described,  is  no  more  that,  achieved 
by  our  statesmen  and  heroes,  than  the  mangled 
phantom,  which  2Eneas  met  in  his  descent  to  Aver- 
nus,  resembled  the  faultless  figure  of  Deiphobus. 

"  I  feel,  equally  with  yourself,  the  obligation  im- 
posed upon  us  to  make  all  possible  exertions  to  pro- 
mote the  benevolent  design  of  our  creation,  by  ren- 
dering ourselves  useful  to  our  fellow  men.  I  con- 
fess that  this  is  the  only  certain  proof  we  can  give 
of  our  gratitude  to  God  for  the  mercies  and  talents 
with  which  he  has  been  pleased  to  intrust  us. 

"In  writing  history,  I  think  no  better  directions 
can  be  adopted,  than  that  which  Cicero  prescribes — 
'  Primam  esse  historiae  legem  ne  quid  falsi  dicere 
audeat.'  There  is  one  branch  of  our  Revolution, 
equally  useful  with  any  other,  the  history  of  which, 
I  believe,  no  one  has  ever  attempted.  I  mean  the 
management  of  our  foreign  affairs  during  that  period. 
This  would  be  an  ample  field,  respecting  which 
the  most  of  our  countrymen  know  but  very  little. 
They  scarcely  know  the  deeds  of  those  who  went 
abroad,  hazarded  their  liberty  and  lives,  and  per- 
formed laborious  services,  as  much  conducive  to  the 
success  of  our  arms,  as  those  of  warriors  at  home. 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  173 

While  the  latter  have  been  eulogized  by  our  histo- 
rians, the  former  have  not  had  their  exertions  fairly 
represented.  Circumstances  make  the  difference, 
but  withhold  the  justice. 

"  You  remark,  *  Literature  is  dear,  and  common 
nature  is  cheap.'  A  knowledge  of  the  former,  how- 
ever, is  more  easily  obtained,  than  that  of  the  latter. 
We  meet  with  thousands  profound  in  literature,  who 
have  imperfect  views  of  human  nature.  This  im- 
portant study  will  no  doubt  form  one  grand  object 
of  your  pursuit  while  in  Europe.  Shakespeare  was 
an  adept  in  this  science.  His  investigations  cannot 
be  read  without  being  realized.  They  are  clothed 
with  circumstances  arid  embodied  by  fact  and 
experience. 

"  In  whatever  country  of  Europe  you  travel,  you 
will  probably  find  the  state  of  society  much  lower 
than  in  our  country.  A  mind,  benevolent  like 
yours,  will  naturally  search  for  the  cause  of  such 
difference.  Please  to  examine  this  subject,  and 
send  me  the  result." 

July  26.  From  Walter.  "Among  the  singular 
political  events  of  the  present  day,  has  been  the 
proposal  to  the  royal  family  of  France  to  abdicate, 
by  a  written  instrument,  their  hereditary  right  as 
the  relations  of  Louis  XVI.  The  proposal  was 
Bonaparte's.  But  Louis  XVIII.,  though  promised 
the  most  splendid  establishment,  and  I  believe  the 
crown  of  Poland,  indignantly  refused  the  proposal 
in  a  written  answer,  and  the  rest  of  the  family  to 
the  number  of  eight  or  ten.  This  proves  that  Bona- 
parte feels  that  he  has  no  right  to  his  present  station, 
16 


174  MEMORIALS   OF 

and  that  he  wishes  to  prop  a  frail  system  by  the 
abdicated  right  of  the  real  owner  of  the  crown. 
Last  night  I  was  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
£60,000  were  granted  to  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and 
an  annuity  of  £16,000  in  consequence  of  the  ser- 
vices of  that  illustrious  house  at  the  Revolution  of 
1688,  their  uniform  friendship  to  Great  Britain,  and 
their  present  establishment,  which  is  not  equal  to 
the  support  of  their  dignity,  and  in  consequence  of 
benefits  which  accrued  to  Great  Britain  from  their 
name  and  situation  during  the  late  war.  The  Amer- 
ican Commissioners  have  received  upwards  of 
£230,000  for  losses  by  British  capture.  This  is 
the  first  installment.  They  will  receive  another 
like  sum  in  one  year,  and  another  in  two  years. 
This  is  a  good  answer  to  the  revilers  of  the  British 
treaty,  who  have  contended  that  the  Americans 
would  never  recover  any  of  their  property.  I  dined 
with  Dr.  Gillies  at  Sir  William  Pepperell's,  the 
other  day.  I  had  much  conversation  with  him  of 
a  political  and  literary  nature,  which  I  shall  one  day 
detail  to  you.  He  characterized  Mr.  Adams,  the 
late  President,  by  saying  '  he  knew  him  in  Eng- 
land, and  he  was  a  clever,  sensible  man.'  " 

July  30.  "  We  have  dreadful  accounts  of  a  rebel- 
lion in  Ireland.  A  week  ago  the  rioters  poured  into 
Dublin  to  the  number  of  4,000.  They  assembled 
in  the  principal  streets,  and  demanded  a  watchword 
from  every  person.  They  tore  the  Lord  Chief  Jus- 
tice, Lord  Kil warden,  and  his  nephews  from  his 
coach,  as  he  was  returning  from  the  country,  and 
stabbed  and  murdered  them  with  pikes.  They  fought 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  175 

desperately  with  the  King's  troops,  had  a  number 
killed  and  about  200  wounded.  The  royal  troops 
lost  50  or  60.  Thirty  thousand  pikes  have  been  dis- 
covered, and  10,000  suits  of  armor.  Lord  Cornwallis 
goes  to  Ireland  invested  with  full  power.  The  habeas 
corpus  has  been  suspended,  and  martial  law  pro- 
claimed in  that  country.  Sheridan  has  completely 
turned  his  back  on  the  old  opposition,  arid  is  now  a 
supporter  of  the  ministry.  He  declared  his  deter- 
mination publicly,  the  other  evening,  to  give  his 
assistance  to  gentlemen  who  were  continually 
assailed  by  Mr.  Windham  and  others  without  the 
least  cause.  He  is  tired  of  opposition,  and  wants  a 
place." 

Aug.  18.  "You  know  the  Abbe  de  Lille.  The 
English  booksellers  have  just  published  a  fine  poem 
by  him,  called  Le  Macheur  et  la  Pitie,  illustrated 
with  literary  and  political  anecdotes  of  the  French 
Revolution.  When  it  was  first  published  in  France 
the  government  ordered  a  great  number  of  offensive 
passages  to  be  struck  out.  This  was  complied 
with.  But  the  work  is  published  here  in  French, 
complete  as  written  by  the  author.  The  glowing 
and  tender  author  of  L'homme  des  Champs  could 
not  write  otherwise  than  with  delicacy  and  feeling. 
The  subject  leads  him  to  delineate  some  of  the 
miseries  and  horrors  of  the  French  Revolution,  and 
his  views  of  the  private  distress  are  heart-rending 
and  full  of  most  exquisite  feeling.  Southey  has 
translated  the  old  romance  of  Amadis  de  Gaul. 
He  has  given  it  a  good  prose  version  and  annexed  a 
preface.  I  wish  that  he  had  employed  his  poetical 


176  MEMORIALS   OF 

talents  on  something  worthy  of  his  genius,  and  not 
have  wasted  his  time  on  an  old  romance.  He  is  a 
gentleman  of  a  melancholy  turn  of  mind,  delight- 
ing but  little  in  the  gayeties  of  life.  His  situation 
as  a  secretary  to  the  Chancellor  of  the  Irish  Ex- 
chequer, gives  him  a  good  salary  and  enables  him 
to  live  independent  of  the  world.  Southey's  friend 
Coleridge  is  quite  different  in  his  disposition.  He 
is  lively,  full  of  fun,  noise  arid  merriment.  He 
likes  literature  and  pleasant  conversation,  and  is  full 
of  anecdote  and  stories.  Nothing  to  him  is  more 
pleasant  than  an  hour's  talk  with  a  friend.  He 
lives  in  the  county  of  Cumberland,  far  from  London, 
and  delights  in  his  books.  The  proprietors  of  a 
daily  newspaper  wished  to  make  him  editor,  and 
offered  him  a  very  handsome  establishment,  but  he 
declined.  He  has  distinguished  himself  by  a  good 
answer  to  Godwin's  Political  Justice,  notwithstand- 
ing he  is  a  democrat  in  his  general  principles.  I 
have  heard  that  his  answer  is  one  of  the  best 
which  that  work  has  received.  Monroe  has 
been  introduced  at  Court  as  Ambassador  from  the 
United  States.  Peter  Porcupine  says  he  shall  keep 
an  eye  on  him,  and  watch  his  motions." 

Aug.  21.  "On  the  Foutrh  of  July,  Ambassador 
Livingston  gave  a  dinner.  After  it  a  toast  was  given, 
1  Democratic  arithmetic,  addition  and  multiplication, 
without  division.'  He  lives  in  Paris  in  great  style. 
We  hear  that  he  goes  home  in  the  spring.  Perhaps 
he  has  a  notion  of  being  Vice  President,  which 
would  give  umbrage  to  the  Clintonians.  Cobbett 
has  had  a  fighting  with  one  Heriot,  editor  of  the 


"WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  177 

True  Briton,  because  H.  had  said  that  C.  deserved 
the  gibbet  or  the  gallows  for  some  political  publica- 
tion. I  know  not  which  gained  the  victory.  But 
Heriot  says  that  one  Dickens  assisted  Cobbett  in  the 
affair.  The  political  plot  thickens.  Russia  joins 
England,  and  the  French  forces  are  to  be  active." 

Aug.  23.  "  The  situation  of  Europe  grows  daily 
more  interesting,  and  you  need  not  be  surprised  if  a 
general  Continental  war  should  recommence.  Rus- 
sia becomes  more  open  in  her  determinations,  and 
the  English  now  expect  direct  and  immediate  co- 
operation from  that  quarter.  There  is  little  doubt, 
that  a  Russian  fleet  will  join  the  English,  and  from 
Russian  influence  the  other  Northern  Powers  may 
act  against  France.  The  French  are  agitating  an 
expedition,  and  the  Prince  of  Conde  will  be  the 
head  and  the  celebrated  Dumanier  is  to  have  a  prin- 
cipal command. 

"  Bonaparte  goes  on  with  his  preparations  in 
France  and  Holland.  The  latter  has  ordered  to  be 
built  immediately  100  gun-boats  and  250  flat- 
bottom  boats  for  the  invasion  of  England.  The 
French  invading  army  consists  of  200,000  men. 
The  English,  in  two  months,  will  be  fully  adequate 
to  repel  such  a  tremendous  force.  The  time  of 
attack  is  said  to  be  fixed  in  the  latter  end  of  Octo- 
ber or  beginning  of  November,  when  the  weather 
is  cloudy,  rainy  and  tempestuous,  and  the  nights  are 
dark  and  long.  But  the  opinion  of  most  people  is 
that  the  invasion  will  not  be  attempted.  Some 
wish  that  it  might  take  place  in  order  to  try  the 
experiment,  and  have  the  protracted  menace  forever 
16* 


178  MEMORIALS    OF 

decided.  Amidst  all  the  bustle  of  politics  and  war, 
your  friend  enjoys  his  usual  health,  loves  his  books 
and  thinks  of  his  friends.  He  sometimes  antici- 
pates the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  on  the  Long 
wharf,  as  he  steps  from  ship-board,  and  of  future 
mutual  exertions  of  head  and  heart,  in  which  he 
expects  beneficial  results  and  pleasant  sensations." 

In  this  letter  Walter  says,  "  I  hear  that  the  prac- 
tice of  smoking  segars  is  becoming  unfashionable." 
This  fashion  of  smoking  was  excessive,  according  to 
the  letters  of  literary  correspondents  of  that  period. 
It  seemed  to  have  been  erroneously  and  injuriously 
considered  a  mark  of  gentility,  and  a  desirable  stim- 
ulant to  genius  in  conversation  and  composition  of 
poetry  and  prose. 

Sept.  19.  J.  S.  Buckminster's  poetical  invitation 
to  Shaw  in  Boston  to  visit  Waltham  at  the  Lyman 
country  seat,  where  he  was.  An  extract  follows  : 

"  Come,  and  with  loitering  steps  the  walk  we'll  rove 
And  chat  discursive  on  the  themes  we  love; 
Recall  with  memory  sweet,  those  scenes  of  yore, 
Which  oft  in  Harvard's  walls  we've  acted  o'er, 
"Where  first  we  learnt  in  friendship  to  unite, 
And  link'd  the  chain,  unbroken  yet  and  bright, 
Where  judgment  ripened,  where  attachment  grew, 
And  where  we  learnt  to  love  whom  best  we  knew. 
Here  art  with  wealth  conspires  the  grounds  to  grace 
And  traces  lovlier  lines  on  nature's  face. 
Enter  and  gaze  where  living  graces  lurk 
And  waste  an  hour  with  nature's  fairer  work." 

Oct.  17.  From  Walter  in  London.  "  I  am  daily 
expecting  Wells  to  make  up  for  the  loss  of  Allston, 
who  sails  this  week  to  Rotterdam.  We  have  noth- 
ing new  in  the  political  world,  except  the  accounts 
of  the  French  preparations  and  determinations  to 
invade  the  country,  and  of  the  contrary  efforts  on 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  179 

the  part  of  the  English.  The  latter  really  expect 
the  attempt  will  be  made,  and  seem  to  have  no 
doubt  that  it  will  be  defeated.  I  think,  from  a 
careful  examination  of  what  I  have  heard  and  seen 
on  each  side,  that  the  French  will  be  entirely  de- 
stroyed or  made  prisoners.  They  have  to  elude  or 
to  fight  the  English  navy,  which  is  very  numerous 
on  their  coasts ;  then  the  English  gun-boats  arid 
vessels,  which  are  stationed  on  this  coast,  and  are  a 
very  respectable  force  ;  then  the  English  forts  and 
batteries  on  this  shore ;  and  then  an  English  army 
of  100,000  men,  who  can  be  assembled  in  a  day  or 
two  from  the  time  of  the  news  being  heard  that 
the  French  have  sailed." 

Nov.  11.  From  J.  Wagner  in  Washington  to 
Shaw  in  Boston.  This  communication  was  accom- 
panied with  two  certificates  from  James  Madison, 
Secretary  of  State,  that  Benjamin  Wells,  sailed  for 
England,  and  Arthur  Maynard  Walter  in  London, 
were  citizens  of  the  United  States.  Such  precau- 
tion was  requisite  to  prevent  their  being  captured  by 
the  belligerents  of  Europe.  The  letter  says:  "I 
have  just  received  your  favor  of  the  2d,  and  enclose 
the  certificates  you  request.  I  shall  with  pleasure 
furnish  you  with  the  pamphlets.  I  shall  add  to 
them  a  pamphlet  containing  a  topographical  ac- 
count of  Louisiana,  compiled  by  me  from  official 
and  other  correct  documents.  I  expect  the  printing 
of  it  will  be  completed  by  Monday  next.  It  is  an 
official  performance,  and  will  be  laid  before  Con- 
gress as  soon  as  it  is  printed.  You  surprise  me  by 
the  bulk  of  your  collection.  I  shall  be  happy  to 


180  WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW. 

contribute  to  increase  it  by  any  additions  you  may 
direct  or  my  taste  may  suggest  as  worthy  of  your 
attention."  This  shows  the  advancement  which 
Mr.  Shaw  had  made  in  his  collection  of  pamphlets 
and  books,  which  subsequently  formed  a  valuable 
part  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Liverpool  Athenseum— Royal  Standard— Congressional  Propriety 
— Louisiana — Admission  to  the  Bar — Use  of  Tobacco — Hamilton's 
Death.— Fugitive  Slave — Political  Operation — An  Account  of  Han- 
nah Adams,  by  herself — Anthology  Society — Dr.  Waterhouse's 
Botanical  Lectures — Tunisian  Embassy — Gun  Boats. 

1803,  November  15.  Benjamin  Wells  in  Liver- 
pool to  Shaw  in  Boston.  "  After  a  passage  of 
thirty-two  days,  I  arn  in  peace  and  safety  here. 
But  you  had  nearly  for  the  last  time,  pressed  the 
hand  .and  looked  mildly  into  the  face  of  your  friend. 
There  never  has  scarcely  been  known  a  more  tem- 
pestuous time  upon  this  coast.  Shipwrecks  have 
been  uncommonly  frequent  during  the  period  we 
were  weathering  Cape  Clear.  I  believe  the  John 
Adams  is  the  only  vessel  which  has  come  into  port 
sound,  though  she  carried  away  two  of  her  sails. 
I  visited  the  Athenaeum,  having  a  public  news-room 
on  the  lower  floor,  and  a  large  library  and  reading- 
room  on  the  second.  It  has  been  instituted  about 
ten  years.  Dr.  Currie  and  Mr.  Roscoe  were  the 
original  advocates  of  this  institution.  Roscoe 
spends  much  of  his  time  in  reading,  and  probably 
wrote  much  of  his  Lorenzo  here.  He  has  now  in 
the  press  his  Pope  Leo,  which,  if  as  full  of  intellec- 


182  MEMORIALS    OP 

tual  blaze  as  his  Lorenzo,  will  afford  still  more 
warmth  and  light  to  the  dark  and  long  unopened 
caves,  which  held  the  mouldering  fragments  of 
Roman  sentiment  and  the  early  products  of  Italian 
genius.  Cooper  is  not  thought  much  of  in  Eng- 
land. There  is  Kemble  and  Cooke,  the  latter  of 
whom,  I  understand,  is  not  so  temperate  as  his  wel- 
fare requires.  Cooper  talks  of  coming  to  Boston, 
and  trying  to  take  the  management  of  the  theatre. 

"  The  determination  of  the  First  Consul  to  invade 
the  kingdom  is  as  }  et  unatternpted,  but  strongly  and 
universally  believed.  The  face  of  the  kingdom  is 
set  in  fortitude  and  strength,  though  the  features  of 
Ireland  are  destroying,  in  some  measure,  the  interest- 
ing uniformity.  In  Ireland  there  is  still  a  rancor- 
ous spirit  of  rebellion  passing  over  the  land.  This 
place  is  unquestionably  fixed  on  by  Bonaparte  as 
the  vulnerable  point.  The  French  ships  are  pre- 
pared to  carry  a  large  number  of  troops  to  Ireland. 
England  and  Scotland,  however,  are  wonderful  in 
their  military  arrangements.  Some  assert  that  if 
the  First  Consul  should  not  invade  Britain,  that 
there  may  be  an  invasion  of  France.  The  King  has 
given  orders  and  made  arrangements  to  leave  Wind- 
sor in  one  moment's  warning,  and  hoist  the  royal 
standard  with  his  own  old  hand  at  London,  in  case 
of  invasion." 

December  8.  From  R.  K.  Randolph  in  Prince 
Edward,  Va.  That  Mr.  Shaw  was  still  collecting 
books  afar  off,  as  well  as  near,  appears  from  the 
following  extract.  "  In  this  remote  situation  from 
the  capital,  perhaps  it  will  not  be  in  my  power  to 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  183 

be  serviceable  to  you,  as  you  may  expect,  and  as  I 
could  wish.  But,  as  far  as  possible,  I  will  comply 
with  your  request.  Whenever  I  visit  Richmond, 
which  will  be  two  or  three  times  a  year,  I  will  in- 
quire for  all  such  works  as  are  worth  preservation.'7 
The  letter  proceeds :  "  If  it  could  be  possible, 
nothing  could  give  me  more  pleasure  than  to  see  all 
my  friends  from  New  England  in  this  wilderness 
of  ignorance  and  democracy.  Virginian-like,  I  am 
ambitious  of  nothing  but  freedom.  Here  I  am,  as 
free  as  the  air  that  whistles  through  my  forest." 

Dec.  23.  From  John  Q,.  Adams  in  Washington. 
"  I  received  yesterday  your  favor  of  the  13th  inst., 
inclosing  a  strip  from  the  Centinel,  for  the  history 
of  which  I  am  much  obliged  to  you.  I  had  already 
seen  it  and  have  written  a  long  letter  to  Mr.  Hall, 
containing  my  observations  upon  it,  which  I  pre- 
sume he  will  communicate  either  in  tenor  or  sub- 
stance to  you.  I  do  not  impute  either  the  writing 
or  the  publication  of  those  remarks  to  a  disposition 
unfriendly  to  me  in  Mr.  Russell  or  his  correspondent ; 
but  to  their  strong  feelings  relative  to  the  subjects 
upon  which  they  disapproved  my  conduct,  and  to 
their  being  misinformed  concerning  it.  Both  sub- 
jects had  been  decided  before  the  Centinel  contain- 
ing the  animadversions  arrived  here. 

"  The  letter  from  Messrs.  Russell  and  Cutler,  which 
you  enclosed,  contains  a  request  which  I  most  sin- 
cerely wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  comply  with. 
But  independent  of  the  impropriety  there  would  be  in 
my  expressing  opinions  upon  subjects  under  the  con- 
sideration of  Congress,  before  their  decision,  partic- 


184  MEMORIALS   OF 

ularly  when  it  must  necessarily  involve  a  judgment 
of  different  opinions  entertained  by  others,  I  really 
cannot  command  the  necessary  time.  I  regret  very 
much  that  the  federal  newspapers  not  only  neglect 
but  misrepresent  so  much  of  what  is  doing  here  ; 
but  it  appears  to  me  impossible  that  the  same  person 
should  at  once  perform  the  part  of  an  industrious 
actor,  and  a  faithful  historian  of  the  scene. 

"  As  often,  however,  as  I  can  find  an  hour  to  de- 
vote to  this  purpose,  I  will  write  you  a  summary  of 
subjects  which  are  in  agitation,  arid  you  will  com- 
municate to  them  such  parts  of  them  as  you  shall 
think  expedient.  It  will  relate  altogether  to  facts. 
Those  gentlemen  will  readily  conceive  that  as  this 
is  the  place  where  it  is  my  duty  to  avow,  without 
disguise  or  concealment,  my  opinions  upon  public 
measures  and  interests,  and  as  I  cannot  even  per- 
form that  duty  without  giving  offence,  at  times,  to 
those  whom  I  am  most  desirous  to  satisfy,  I  may 
without  improper  timidity  feel  unwilling  to  express 
such  offensive  opinions,  where  no  duty  requires  that 
I  should. 

"  If  I  were  to  undertake  an  elaborate  justification 
of  those  opinions  which  I  am  here  called  upon  to 
make  public,  it  would  require  much  more  than  all 
my  time  to  perform  the  task.  And  after  all,  I  should 
not  always  succeed.  I  believe  that  the  proposal 
made  me  by  those  gentlemen  was  with  a  view  very 
friendly  to  me,  and  I  feel  obliged  to  them  for  it.  I 
therefore  regret  the  more,  that  I  am  unable  to 
accede  to  it  in  its  full  extent.  I  will  thank  you  to 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  185 

mention  this  to  them.     I  will  answer  their  letter 
shortly." 

Dec.  24.  From  the  same.  "  I  have  particular  rea- 
sons for  requesting  you  to  inform  me  who  the  mem- 
ber of  Congress  was,  from  whom  Mr.  Russell  re- 
ceived the  letter  he  showed  you,  containing  remarks 
on  my  conduct  with  points  of  admiration,  and  the- 
quotation  from  Virgil.  The  knowledge  of  his  name 
will,  in  every  probability,  enable  me  to  make  such 
explanations  to  him  as  will  be  entirely  satisfactory 
to  him  and  to  me.  As  Mr.  Russell  showed  you  the 
letter,  and  afterwards  published  its  substance,  there 
could  be  no  obligation  upon  you,  for  secreting  the 
name.  I  have  this  day  written  to  him  to  ask  the 
name  of  his  correspondent,  and  expect  he  will  give 
it  me  ;  but  at  any  rate  I  wish  to  know  it,  and  will 
thank  you  to  answer  this  letter  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  Congress  have  agreed  not  to  adjourn  over  the 
Christmas  holidays,  as  was  proposed.  They  are  to 
do  as  much  business  next  week  as  any  other.  There 
are  now  two  very  important  bills  in  different  stages  of 
preparation,  one  for  introducing  our  revenue  system 
into  Louisiana,  and  the  other  for  making  a  form  of 
government  for  Louisiana.  The  former  has  passed 
the  House  of  Representatives  with  little  or  no  oppo- 
sition ;  the  latter  is  at  once  in  the  hands  of  two 
committees ;  one  from  the  House,  and  one  from  the 
Senate.  They  will  probably  both  be  considerably 
debated  before  their  final  passage." 

1804,  Feb.  23.  From  Walter  in  London.     «•  The 
King  has  a  renewal  of  his  derangement.     He  is  not 
able  to  do  official  business.     A  regency   will   be 
17 


186  MEMORIALS    OF 

probably  appointed.  This  may  operate  to  drive  the 
ministry  from  their  seats.  The  invasion  is  consid- 
ered as  nearly  abandoned.  The  Powers  of  Europe 
are  quite  still.  I  am  going  through  a  course  of 
history,  and  have  nearly  finished  Mitford's  Greece, 
which  has  good  matter  and  a  bad  manner.  I  read 
my  Greek,  and  generally  go  through  a  book  of  the 
Odyssey  in  two  or  three  lessons,  with  the  help  of 
the  Latin.  This  increases  and  confirms  my  knowl- 
edge of  these  languages.  I  attend  to  what  trans- 
pires in  the  city  and  world,  and  make  my  notes  of 
characters  and  events." 

March  19.  From  John  Q,.  Adams  in  Washington. 
"  We  are  in  the  midst  of  a  discussion  on  a  bill  to 
remove  the  temporary  seat  of  government  to  Balti- 
more. The  history  of  this  is  not  a  little  curious  ; 
but  I  must  reserve  an  account  of  it  for  a  future 
occasion.  While  I  write,  the  yeas  and  nays  are 
taken  on  this  bill's  passing  to  the  third  reading. 
Yeas  9.  Nays  19." 

April.  Mr.  Shaw  was  admitted  an  attorney  at  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Suffolk  County.  Una- 
ble, like  all  his  race,  to  give  a  sure  interpretation  of 
the  signs  of  the  future,  he  experienced,  on  this 
occasion,  the  mingled  emotions  of  hope  and  fear,  as 
to  the  success  of  his  adopted  profession.  Partici- 
pating in  the  political  zeal  which  prevailed  through 
the  country,  arid  which  had  been  nourished  by  his 
immediate  intercourse  with  prominent  statesmen,  he 
was  chosen,  this  year,  secretary  of  the  federal  cen- 
tral committee  for  Massachusetts.  This  trust  was 
conferred  on  him  for  several  successive  years. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  187 

April  23.  Prom  Mr.  Shaw's  mother.  "  The  ex- 
pense of  smoking  tobacco,  though  considerable,  is 
scarcely  to  be  compared  with  its  injury  to  the  mind 
and  body.  It  generally  creates  an  unnatural  thirst, 
the  baneful  influence  of  which,  young  people  should 
avoid  as  among  the  worst  of  evils.  I  confess  to 
you,  my  dear  son,  that  whenever  I  see  young  men 
addicted  to  such  a  habit,  I  tremble  for  the  conse- 
quences. We  cannot  always  make  good  our  words, 
while  slaves  of  habit,  *  Thus  far  will  we  go,  and  no 
farther.'  Evils  encroach  on  our  freedom  often  im- 
perceptibly. Do  not  think  this  a  mother's  whim. 
It  is  the  result  of  close  observation." 

Aug.  2.  "  I  hear  you  have  been  confined  with  a 
rheumatic  fever.  I  fear  that  you  are  too  presuming, 
and  think  because  others  expose  themselves  to  damp 
and  wet  weather,  you  can  do  the  same.  But  your 
constitution  received  an  injury,  by  the  wound  in 
your  ancle  which,  early  in  life,  weakened  your 
whole  frame.  It  must  be  carefully  dealt  with,  if 
you  would  enjoy  any  degree  of  health.  What  is 
your  business  and  its  prospects  ?  The  man  of  real 
integrity  seldom  fails  of  obtaining  the  public  confi- 
dence, which  brings  him  employment  and  main- 
tenance. Patience,  perseverance  and  economy,  with 
this  virtue,  are  essential  to  the  success  of  every 
profession,  but  especially  so  of  the  law. 

"  General  Hamilton's  death  forms  an  absorbing 
topic  of  public  conversation.  However  great  his 
military  and  literary  character,  yet  {  as  a  fool  dieth, 
so  did  he.'  He  who  had  given  full  proof  of  courage 
in  his  country's  service,  should  have  given  an 


188  MEMORIALS    OF 

example  against  duelling;  and  not  placed  his  life  in 
the  hands  of  a  man,  actuated  by  the  passions  of 
malice  and  revenge." 

1805,  Jan.  17.  In  a  letter  from  J.  Q,.  Adams  to 
Mr.  Shaw,  he  mentioned  an  interesting  case  about 
a  slave,1  claimed  by  Mr.  Moore,  a  Senator  in  Con- 
gress from  Virginia.  It  appears  that  the  slave  had 
fled  from  him  several  years  before,  and  was  at  the 
date  of  the  letter  in  Boston.  Then  the  constitution 
was  so  construed  here,  that  such  fugitives  were  taken 
and  sent  back  to  their  masters  by  a  warrant  from 
any  justice  of  the  peace.  The  master  of  the  slave 
wished  to  have  him  sent  in  a  vessel  to  Norfolk  or 
Richmond. 

Jan.  22.  Mr.  Shaw  having  written  to  Samuel  A. 
Otis,  in  Washington,  for  pamphlets  to  enlarge  his 
collection,  the  latter  wrote  him  as  follows  :  "  Of 
late,  Congress  are  become  economical  about  printing, 
and  the  House  of  Representatives  allow  but  one 
copy  to  each  member."  This  is  quite  a  contrast  to 
similar  appropriations  since. 

April.  As  secretary  of  the  federal  central  com- 
mittee, Mr.  Shaw  sent  the  following  circular  to  lead- 
ing men  of  several  places.  This  gives  some  prom- 
inent features  of  the  vigilance  which  his  party  used 
to  regain  their  strength.  It  proceeds:  "  The  suc- 
cess which  has  attended  our  late  efforts,  is  a  pledge 
and  encouragement  to  a  continuance  of  them.  We 
therefore  ask  your  attention  and  communication  to 


'He  was  about  thirty  years  of  age,  absconded  in  1792,  went  by 
the  name  of  James  Grigsby,  in  Boston,  where  he  was  a  barber  by 
trade.  Attempts  had  been  made  to  recover  him,  but  ineffectually. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  189 

the  federalists,  in  the  different  towns,  of  the  following 
ideas.  For  the  purpose  of  securing  an  ascendency 
in  the  House  of  Representatives  the  last  year,  the 
jacobins  adopted  a  plan  which  nearly  effected  their 
purpose.  They  multiplied  the  number  of  Repre- 
sentatives to  almost  their  extreme  point  in  all  towns, 
in  which  they  had  a  decided  majority.  They 
allowed  no  such  town  to  be  without  a  representative, 
and  they  directed  their  partizans,  in  all  towns  un- 
questionably federal,  to  avail  themselves  of  topics, 
economical,  local,  or  in  other  respects  popular,  to 
prevent  them  from  exercising  their  constitutional 
privilege.  The  singular  success  which  attended 
this  plan,  and  the  consequent  federal  weakness 
which  the  last  year's  House  of  Representatives  ex- 
hibited, was  one  and  no  inconsiderable  cause  of  the 
disgrace  which  the  State  suffered  in  the  autumn, 
and  of  the  dangers  which  it  has  this  spring  scarcely 
escaped.  As  an  evidence  of  the  greatness  of  their 
success  by  this  plan,  we  state,  that  out  of  one  hun- 
dred towns,  which  neglected  to  send  representatives 
the  last  year,  eighty-five  were  unquestionably  fede- 
ral. In  addition  to  which,  the  increase  in  the  num- 
ber of  representatives  in  the  great  federal  towns 
bore  no  proportion  to  the  increase  in  the  great  dem- 
ocratic towns.  The  whole  of  this  plan,  it  is,  per- 
haps, unworthy  the  federalists  to  copy  ;  but  a  part, 
it  is  certainly  their  duty  not  to  neglect.  For  this 
purpose,  we  recommend,  1.  That  the  federalists  in 
all  the  towns  be  apprised  of  the  preceding  facts,  and 
that  in  those  undoubtedly  federal,  they  be  urged  not 
to  fail  to  send  a  representative,  and  to  neglect  no 
17* 


190  MEMORIALS  OF 

exertion  to  secure  the  most  suitable  candidate  and 
his  election.  2.  That  the  great  federal  towns  be 
invited  and  pressed  to  send  as  many  representatives 
as  they  conveniently  can,  without  giving  offence  to 
their  own  party.  In  making  up  their  opinions 
upon  this  point,  they  ought  particularly  to  be  cau- 
tioned against  mistaking  the  interested  outcries  of 
their  opponents  for  the  evidence  of  the  real  dissatis- 
faction of  their  friends. 

"  To  aid  you  in  the  above  object,  we  inclose  you 
-3i  list  of  all  the  towns  in  your  county  which  have, 
according  to  the  best  information  we  can  obtain,  a 
decided  federal  majority,  and  request  that,  without 
delay,  you  would  communicate  these  hints  to  lead- 
ing federalists  in  each,  respectively,  and  urge  them, 
according  to  the  light  and  opportunities  local  circum- 
stances may  afford." 

About  this  time  Mr.  Shaw  writes  to  one  of  his 
friends  as  follows  :  "  Knowing  the  interest  which 
you  are  pleased  to  take  in  the  'Anthology,'  and  your 
acquaintance  with  several  gentlemen  of  the  law  in 
New  York,  I  am  induced  to  solicit  your  aid  in  ob- 
taining reviews  of  publications  in  your  State,  and  in 
other  respects  for  our  work."  He  was  thus  engaged 
with  others  to  render  the  publication  useful,  and 
also  to  keep  it  alive  through  pecuniary  patronage. 

July  28.  Mr.  Shaw  received  a  letter  from  C.  P. 
Wayne,  Philadelphia,  who  desired  him  to  deliver 
ithe  volumes,  containing  Marshall's  Life  of  Wash- 
ington, to  President  John  Adams. 

Aug.  28.  Miss  Hannah  Adams,  in  Wrentham, 
writes  Mr.  Shaw  the  following  account  of  herself. 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  191 

However  this  is  extended,  it  is  valuable  for  its  biog- 
raphical facts  of  a  worthy  author,  and  therefore  de- 
serves to  be  preserved  in  print. 

"  Your  kindness  to  me,  and  the  candor  and 
benevolence  which  distinguish  your  character,  has 
encouraged  me  to  address  you  with  the  most  per- 
fect confidence ;  and  I  should  have  complied  with 
your  request  immediately  after  my  return  from  town, 
but  a  very  feeble  state  of  health  has  obliged  me  to 
lay  aside  my  pen ;  and  I  came  to  this  place  in  order 
to  consult  Dr.  Mann,  who  is  one  of  my  kindest 
friends.  My  health  is  now  on  the  mending  hand ; 
and  without  apologizing  for  my  egotism,  I  will  en- 
deavor to  be  as  minute  as  possible. 

11 1  was  originally  of  a  feeble  constitution,  educa- 
ted in  a  very  retired  situation,  and  averse  to  society 
in  general.  The  first  strong  propensity  of  my  soul, 
which  I  can  recollect,  was  an  ardent  curiosity, 
which  induced  me  to  seek  my  enjoyment  from 
reading.  In  my  youthful  days  I  was  passionately 
fond  of  poetry  and  novels  ;  and  as  my  time  passed  in 
seclusion  from  the  world,  I  perused  a  great  variety 
of  these  kinds  of  books,  which  gave  me  romantic 
and  false  ideas  of  life,  and  heightened  my  dislike  to 
common  society. 

"  In  order  to  turn  my  attention  to  a  different  kind 
of  reading,  and  indulge  my  curiosity  by  exploring 
the  sentiments  of  the  various  religious  denominations, 
I  began  to  write  my  View  of  Religions,  in  the  form  in 
which  it  now  appears,  in  the  year  1778.  As  I  had  not 
at  that  time  any  intention  of  publishing  it,  I  made  it 
at  first  only  an  occasional  amusement.  But  my 


192  MEMORIALS   OF 

inability  to  support  myself  in  any  other  way  induced 
me,  in  1784,  to  put  it  to  press.  The  printer  was 
artful  enough  to  dupe  my  father  in  making  the 
bargain,  and  all  the  compensation  I  was  able  to 
obtain  was  only  fifty  books ;  and  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  I  procured  those  books  bound,  after  the 
printer  had  the  whole  benefit  of  receiving  the 
money  from  the  subscribers,  who  numbered  be- 
tween four  and  five  hundred.  He  had,  besides, 
printed  a  large  edition,  and  distributed  them  so 
widely,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  I  procured  a  sale 
for  "my  books  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents 
per  volume. 

"  Compiling  this  work  required  my  entering  into 
a  large  field  of  reading  ;  and,  as  I  am  naturally  timid, 
and  constitutionally  wanting  in  firmness  and  decision, 
examining  so  many  various  and  contradictory  sys- 
tems had  such  an  effect  on  my  feelings  as  to  destroy 
my  health  by  bringing  on  a  train  of  the  most  painful 
nervous  complaints,  to  which  I  have  ever  been  sub- 
ject, and  I  was  at  this  time  reduced  so  low  that 
my  life  was  despaired  of.  At  length,  after  a  period 
of  the  most  exquisite  sufferings,  I  began  to  recover 
in  1786,  and  took  the  precaution  to  secure  my  copy- 
right, agreeably  to  the  law  which  had  been  passed 
in  Massachusetts  in  1783.  Soon  after,  I  received  a 
letter  from  the  printer,  informing  me,  that  'he  had 
sold  the  greatest  part  of  the  first  edition  ;  was  about 
to  reprint  it  ;  and  wished  to  know  if  I  had  any 
thing  to  add.'  I  felt  indignant  at  his  insulting  pro- 
posal, and  immediately  returned  this  laconic  an- 
swer. '  I  have  secured  the  copy-right  to  my  publi- 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  193 

cation,  and  therefore  take  the  liberty  to  forbid  you 
to  reprint  it  upon  your  peril.'  He  considered  this 
as  a  vain  threat,  and  said,  as  I  was  informed,  that 
he  should  not  pay  any  regard  to  what  I  said ;  for 
admitting  that  I  had  secured  a  copy-right,  I  was  not 
able  to  republish  the  book  myself.  After  this  I 
engaged  a  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance  to  call 
upon  him,  and  assure  him  that  though  I  was  desti- 
tute of  the  means  of  defending  myself,  I  had  friends 
who  would  protect  me  from  such  injurious  treat" 
ment.  This  intelligence  induced  him  finally  to 
relinquish  his  design. 

"The  information  that  the  first  edition  of  my 
work  was  sold,  gave  me  the  first  idea  of  reprinting 
it  for  my  own  benefit.  But  my  being  entirely  des- 
titute of  pecuniary  resources,  my  retired  situation, 
ignorance  of  the  world,  feeble  state  of  health,  in- 
capacity of  conducting  business  myself,  and  want  of 
friends  who  were  able  and  willing  to  assist  me,  ren- 
dered it  extremely  difficult.  Even  the  few  friends  I 
then  had,  in  general  supposed  the  disadvantages  in 
my  situation  so  great,  that  they  wounded  my  feel- 
ings by  depressing  my  hopes  and  discouraging  my 
exertions. 

"While  my  mind  was  thus  involved  in  perplexity, 
I  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  a  beloved  sister,  who 
was  dearer  to  me  than  life.  My  attachment  to  her 
equalled  the  high  descriptions  of  friendship  in  poetry 
and  novels.  Her  death  seemed  to  deprive  me  of  the 
better  half  of  my  existence,  and  the  world  appeared 
a  desert,  in  which  I  was  left  almost  alone,  without 
health  and  without  property.  My  father's  circum- 


MEMORIALS   OF 

stances  were  very  low,  and  I  had  not  any  relation 
or  friend  on  earth  from  whom  I  might  reasonably 
expect  to  derive  assistance. 

"  Yet  it  was,  perhaps,  a  happy  circumstance  for 
ine,  after  the  great  and  recent  loss  I  had  sustained,  that 
poverty  impelled  me  to  exert  myself  to  the  utmost 
to  extricate  myself  from  my  difficulties ;  I  might 
otherwise  have  been  in  more  danger  of  sinking  un- 
der the  weight  of  affliction,  in  this  darkest  period  of 
my  existence.  In  the  year  1790,  I  sent  a  petition 
to  Congress,  (which  Mr.  Ames  presented  at  my  re- 
quest,) for  a  general  law  to  be  passed  which  would 
secure  to  authors  the  exclusive  right  of  their  publi- 
cations, and  after  making  the  addition  of  an  hun* 
dred  pages  to  my  View  of  Religions,  sent  letters  to 
a  number  of  printers  requesting  them  to  inform  me 
on  what  terms  they  would  undertake  the  publication. 
Though  all  my  letters  were  nearly  the  same,  and 
consisted  only  of  a  few  plain  categorical  questions, 
their  answers  were  various,  ambiguous,  generally 
lengthy,  and  to  me,  in  some  particulars,  wholly  un- 
intelligible. Mr.  Polsom,  who  appeared  to  be  more 
generous  and  decided  than  the  others,  offered  me  an 
hundred  books  for  an  edition  of  a  thousand  copies. 
As  I  had  riot  any  person  to  assist  me,  when  I  came 
to  town  in  order  to  conclude  a  bargain  with  him 
on  these  terms,  a  female  friend  of  mine  was  so 
kind  as  to  introduce  me  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Freeman, 
and  I  shall  ever  remember  his  goodness  to  me 
with  the  most  lively  gratitude  ;  for  the  first  time  in 
rny  life,  I  found  a  friend  and  benefactor  who  under- 
stood business,  and  who,  from  the  most  disinterested 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  195 

motives,  was  ready  to  give  me  assistance.  He  re- 
lieved my  mind  from  a  weight  of  care,  by  taking 
the  trouble  of  transacting  my  business  with  the 
printer,  and  I  soon  found  the  benefit  of  his  patron- 
age in  procuring  a  large  number  of  subscribers.  He 
then  agreed  with  Mr.  Folsom  to  print  an  edition  of 
1,000  copies,  on  favorable  terms,  and  receive  his  pay 
from  the  subscribers ;  and  also  agreed  with  the  book- 
binders to  take  books  for  their  trouble.  After  the 
settlements  were  made,  a  handsome  compensation 
remained  for  me.  The  compilation  was  published, 
and  the  copy-right  secured,  in  1791.  The  books 
were  sold  to  subscribers  for  one  dollar  and  seventy- 
five  cents  a  copy,  and  had  a  more  rapid  circulation 
than  any  of  my  after  publications.  The  emolument  I 
derived  placed  me  in  a  comfortable  situation,  ena- 
bled me  to  discharge  the  debts  I  had  contracted  dur- 
ing mine  and  my  sister's  illness,  and  to  put  out  a 
small  sum  upon  interest. 

"What  the  terms  were  I  have  now  forgot,  and 
have  not  my  papers  by  me,  else  I  would  have  been 
more  particular.  Encouraged  and  animated  by 
this  success,  in  1793  I  engaged  in  writing  the 
Summary  History  of  New  England,  which  was 
originally  intended  for  the  use  of  schools.  The 
materials  for  this  work  lay  scattered  in  many  large 
volumes  and  manuscripts,  which  I  took  indefati- 
gable pains  to  collect  and  condense.  If  there  had 
been  only  one  History  of  New  England  then  ex- 
tant, which  had  been  brought  down  to  the  period  to 
which  mine  extended,  my  labor  would  have  been 
comparatively  small.  I  was  obliged  to  collect  and 


196  MEMORIALS   OF 

condense  a  great  part  of  the  work  from  large  and 
detached  histories  of  the  several  States,  and  connect 
them  together  wholly  without  a  guide  ;  and  as  there 
was  not  any  authentic  history  of  Rhode  Island,  ex- 
cept Calender's,  I  spent  some  time  in  Providence  in 
examining  the  records  in  the  secretary's  office. 
When  at  length  I  had  completed  a  great  part  of  the 
compilation,  I  had  the  misfortune  to  almost  entirely 
lose  the  use  of  my  eyes,  and  the  medicines  which  I 
used  for  several  months  appeared  rather  to  increase, 
than  to  mitigate  the  disorder.  I  was  wholly  de- 
prived of  the  pleasure  and  advantage  of  reading 
and  writing,  and  suffered  extremely  from  the  gloomy 
apprehension  of  being  totally  blind.  At  length  I 
applied  to  Dr.  Jeffries  ;  and  by  following  his  pre- 
scriptions for  about  two  years,  I  partially  recovered 
my  sight.  In  1799  my  history  was  published ;  but 
as  I  was  obliged  to  employ  an  amanuensis  to  tran- 
scribe for  me  the  account  of  the  American  war, 
that  part,  in  particular,  was  much  less  condensed 
than  I  had  intended.  The  work  was  printed  at 
Dedham,  by  Herman  Mann  and  a  half  brother  of 
mine,  who  was  then  partner  with  him  and  now  fol- 
lows the  seas.  The  apprehension  that  the  weakness 
of  my  eyes  would  prevent  rny  ever  completing  the 
compilation,  had  induced  me  to  drop  the  subscrip- 
tion which  was  set  on  foot  before  they  began  to 
fail,  and  I  was  hence  obliged  to  publish  the  work  at 
my  own  expense.  The  printers  were  both  in  very 
low  circumstances,  and  required  immediate  pay- 
ment before  I  could  dispose  of  my  books.  My 
father  was  not  able  to  give  me  the  same  assistance 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  197 

in  helping  me  sell  them  as  he  did  when  I  published 
the  second  edition  of  my  View  of  Religions.  I 
was  obliged  to  borrow  a  considerable  sum  of  money 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  work,  which,  as  the 
paper  was  very  good  and  the  pages  greatly  overrun 
what  I  intended,  were  large.  These  circumstances 
hindered  my  realizing  the  emolument  I  expected 
from  the  work. 

"  The  next  publication  I  engaged  in  was  the 
third  edition  of  my  View  of  Religions,  in  which  I 
made  the  edition  of  110  pages,  part  of  which  was 
the  introduction,  which  gives  an  account  of  the 
state  of  the  world  when  Christ  appeared.  Mr. 
Freeman  made  a  bargain  with  Manning  &  Loring, 
that  for  an  edition  of  2,000  copies  they  should  allow 
me  five  hundred  dollars.  The  work  was  printed  in 
1801,  and  the  payments  which  were  annually  made 
relieved  me  from  the  embarrassments  into  which  I 
was  involved  by  publishing  the  History  of  New 
England  at  my  own  expense.  I  now  determined  to 
wait  till  the  greatest  part  of  that  edition  was  sold, 
and  then  abridge  it  for  the  use  of  schools. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  as  I  supposed  a  compilation 
which  would  give  a  concise  view  of  the  Evidences 
of  the  Christian  Religion  might  be  useful  to  young 
people,  I  engaged  in  this  design.  But  as  my  father, 
from  his  advanced  age  and  increasing  infirmities, 
was  more  and  more  unable  to  assist  me  in  borrow- 
ing books,  I  found  a  great  difficulty  in  procuring 
suitable  materials  for  this  work ;  a  large  part  of 
which,  (as  well  as  of  the  additions  to  the  third  edi- 
tion of  my  View  of  Religions,)  was  collected  from- 
18 


198  MEMORIALS   OF 

booksellers'  stores,  where  I  made  extracts  from  such 
writings  as  I  found  it  impossible  to  purchase  or  bor- 
row, and  which  were  necessary  in  this  compilation. 
After  I  had  completed  the  work,  I  found  the  print- 
ers and  booksellers,  in  general,  unwilling  to  publish 
it  at  their  risk,  because  they  supposed  the  subject 
would  be  unpopular.  At  length,  Mr.  John  West 
offered  to  undertake  it,  provided  he  might  receive 
the  money  from  the  subscribers,  and  the  whole 
edition  remain  in  his  hands  till  he  was  reimbursed  ; 
and  he  would  then  divide  the  remainder  of  the 
edition,  which  was  to  consist  of  a  thousand  copies, 
with  me.  He  however  candidly  told  me  that  'he 
did  not  think  what  he  offered  would  afford  me  the 
profit  I  ought  to  make,  though  he  could  not  afford 
to  give  me  any  more.'  After  Mr.  Freeman  had  ap- 
plied to  a  number  of  printers  and  booksellers,  who 
all  refused  to  undertake  the  work  at  their  own  risk, 
as  the  publishing  my  History  of  New  England  had 
made  me  too  timid  and  cautious  to  print  it  at  my 
own  expense,  he  advised  me  to  accede  to  Mr.  West's 
terms,  and  the  compilation  was  printed  in  1804. 
Mr.  West  sold  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  books 
to  reimburse  himself.  Afterwards,  in  making  the 
division,  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  books  in 
sheets  remained  for  my  compensation." 

Miss  Adams  proceeds  to  describe  her  intention  of 
abridging  her  History  of  New  England  arid  of  her 
disappointment  in  learning  that  a  similar  work  had 
been  undertaken  by  Rev.  Dr.  Morse  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Parish. 

"  When  I  began   to  transcribe  my  abridgment 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  199 

for  the  press,  I  intended  to  re  per  use  all  the  most 
valuable  publications  on  the  subject  which  I. had 
consulted  when  I  wrote  my  Summary  History;  but 
I  had  not  proceeded  far,  when  my  eyes,  which 
have  never  recovered  the  injury  they  then  received, 
failed  to  such  a  degree,  as  to  render  it  impossible 
for  me  to  pay  that  attention  to  the  correctness  of 
the  work  which  I  should  otherwise  have  done. 
However,  I  trust  I  shall  find  that  candor  with 
which  my  publications  have  hitherto  been  received, 
which  to  my  inexpressible  satisfaction,  has  far 
exceeded  my  most  sanguine  expectations. 

"  Since  the  age  and  infirmities  of  my  father  have 
prevented  his  assisting  me,  as  he  formerly  did,  in 
selling  and  exchanging  my  books,  I  have  been  ne- 
cessitated to  exert  myself  in  doing  business,  which 
is  out  of  the  female  line.  And  as  I  am  sensible  my 
manners  are  remarkably  awkward,  this  conscious- 
ness, joined  with  my  ignorance  of  the  established 
rules  of  propriety,  has  made  me  tremblingly  appre- 
hensive of  exposing  myself  to  ridicule.  These  feel- 
ings are,  however,  much  less  painful  than  they  have 
formerly  been.  In  order  to  reconcile  myself  to  my 
fate,  I  have  considered,  that  what  is  morally  right, 
and  necessary  to  be  done  in  the  situation  in  which 
Providence  has  placed  me,  cannot  be  in  itself  im- 
proper ;  and  though  my  acting  upon  this  principle 
may  have  exposed  me  to  ridicule,  if  I  can  have  the 
approbation  of  my  own  heart,  and  the  esteem  of  a 
few  friends  whose  good  opinion  /  most  highly 
prize,  I  can  rise  superior  to  the  ridicule,  or  censure 
of  the  world  in  general. 


200  MEMORIALS   OF 

"  In  the  life  of  Mrs.  Charlotte  Smith,  it  is  observed 
that,  '  The  penalties  and  discouragements  attending 
the  profession  of  an  author  fall  upon  women  with  a 
double  weight ;  to  the  curiosity  of  the  idle  and 
the  envy  of  the  malicious  their  sex  affords  a  pecu- 
liar excitement.  Arraigned  not  merely  as  writers, 
but  as  women,  their  characters,  their  conduct,  even 
their  personal  endowments  become  the  objects  of 
severe  inquisition  ;  from  the  common  allowances 
claimed  by  the  species,  literary  women  appear  to  be 
exempted ;  in  detecting  their  errors,  and  exposing 
their  foibles,  malignant  ingenuity  is  active  and  un- 
wearied. Vain  would  be  the  hope  to  shield  them- 
selves from  detraction,  by  the  severest  prudence,  or 
the  most  entire  seclusion  ;  wanton  malice  in  the 
failure  of  facts,  amply  supplies  materials  for  defama- 
tion, while  from  the  anguish  of  wounded  delicacy 
the  gratification  of  demons  seems  to  be  extracted.7 

"  Though  I  have  been  too  insignificant,  and  have 
been  treated  with  too  much  candor  to  wholly  real- 
ize the  truth  of  all  the  above  remarks  ;  yet  from  my 
poverty,  retired  situation,  ignorance  of  the  world, 
and  incapacity  for  conducting  business,  I  have  fully 
experienced  the  disadvantages  and  discouragements 
which  attend  my  sex  when  engaged  in  literary  pur- 
suits. Notwithstanding  all  the  exertions  I  have 
made  since  I  began  to  write  for  the  press,  almost 
all  the  little  property  I  have  consists  in  books, 
which  I  find  it  difficult  to  dispose  of  to  advantage. 
This  circumstance  has  made  me  wish,  if  possible, 
to  establish  a  circulating  library,  as  I  could,  by 
exchanging  the  books  I  have  now  on  hand,  set 


WILLIAM   SMITH    SHAW.  201 

up  a  small  store  •  and  the  weakness  of  my  eyes, 
since  I  wrote  my  Summary  History  of  New  Eng- 
land, has  retarded  all  my  literary  pursuits.  I  also 
labor  under  various  other  disadvantages,  which  I 
feel  myself  unable  to  enumerate  or  describe. 

"  I  have,  however,  the  greatest  cause  to  adore  the 
goodness  of  divine  Providence  in  rendering  my  situ- 
ation in  life  much  more  comfortable  than,  gloomy  as 
my  prospects  once  were,  I  had  any  reason  to  have 
anticipated.  And  I  feel  truly  grateful  to  those 
literary  gentlemen  who  have  patronized  my  com- 
pilations. 

"I  must  be  allowed  to  consider  myself  under 
great  obligations  to  you,  sir,  in  particular;  since  I 
am  sensible,  that  by  your  kindness  to  me  you  gratify 
the  benevolent  feelings  of  your  heart,  I  derive 
pleasure  by  indulging  my  grateful  sentiments. 
That  heaven  may  reward  and  bless  you,  is  the 
ardent  wish  of 

"  Your  much  obliged  friend, 

"  HANNAH  ADAMS," 

Though  the  subsequent  account  given  by  Hannah 
Adams  of  herself,  was  written  in  1808,  yet  the 
compiler  has  thought  that  unity  of  idea  as  to  her 
early  life,  requires  it  to  be  placed  in  immediate  suc- 
cession to  the  preceding. 

11 1  was  born  in  the  year  1755.  From  my  infancy 
I  had  an  infirm  constitution,  in  particular  an  extreme 
weakness  and  irritability  in  my  nervous  system. 
My  mother  was  an  excellent  woman,  but  as  she 
possessed  great  tenderness  and  sensibility,  I  was 
18* 


202  MEMORIALS   OF 

educated  in  all  the  habits  of  debilitating  softness  ; 
besides,  my  father's  circumstances  at  that  time  were 
very  different  from  what  they  are  at  present,  and  it 
was  not  then  supposed  that  I  should  ever  be  reduced 
to  the  necessity  of  making  much  exertions  for  a 
support.  Partly  from  want  of  health,  and  an  early 
singularity  of  taste,  I  never  took  any  pleasure  in 
childish  amusements,  and  was  averse  to,  and  sought 
to  avoid  company.  However,  my  life  was  not  devoid 
of  pleasure  ;  that  ardent  curiosity,  which  appears  to 
me  to  have  been  the  first  strong  propensity  of  my 
soul,  induced  me  to  seek  my  enjoyment  from  read- 
ing, which  I  was  left  to  select  for  myself  before  my 
judgment  was  sufficiently  informed  to  make  a  proper 
choice. 

"  The  death  of  my  mother  was  the  first  capital 
misfortune  of  my  life.  I  lost  that  indulgent  parent 
when  about  ten  years  old,  an  age  in  which  daugh- 
ters have  the  greatest  need  of  maternal  direction 
and  assistance.  A  few  years  after,  my  father  failed 
in  trade,  and  I  found  myself  reduced  to  poverty, 
with  a  constitution  and  early  habits  which  rendered 
me  ill  calculated  to  support  myself  by  my  own  ex- 
ertions. However,  as  my  health  was  too  feeble  for 
ine  to  engage  in  any  laborious  employment,  I  had 
considerable  leisure  to  attend  to  reading.  Poetry 
arid  novels  were  my  favorite  books,  and  the  latter 
kind  of  reading  engrossed  too  much  of  my  time  and 
attention.  I  had  a  strong  desire  to  learn  the  rudi- 
ments of  Latin,  Greek,  geography  and  logic,  which 
was  unexpectedly  gratified  by  some  gentlemen  who 
came  to  board  at  my  father's. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  203 

"  About  this  time  I  had  reached  my  eighteenth 
yea,  and  perhaps  few  females  at  that  age  had 
perused  more  books;  but  my  reading  was  desultory, 
and  ill  chosen ;  and  much  of  it  tended  rather  to  in- 
crease that  sensibility  which  opens  new  avenues  of 
suffering,  than  to  improve  the  understanding  and 
strengthen  the  mind.  I  had  lived  exceedingly  re- 
tired, and  had  no  opportunities  of  being  acquainted 
with  the  world.  And  perhaps  no  person  was  ever 
less  calculated,  from  early  habits,  to  gain  a  living 
by  their  own  exertions,  or  from  a  radical  want  of 
health  and  firmness  of  mind,  was  formed  to  feel 
more  sensibly  the  difficulties  of  a  poor  and  depend- 
ent situation." 

Oct.  3.  A  report  is  made  and  accepted  by  the 
Anthology  Society  for  the  regulation  of  their  pro- 
ceedings as  a  literary  association.  It  was  prepared 
by  three  of  their  members,  A.  M.  Walter,  William  S. 
Shaw,  and  J.  S.  Buckminster.  Such  an  association 
had  already  been  formed  more  than  a  year,  and  had 
conducted  "The  Monthly  Anthology  and  Boston 
Review,"  published  by  Monroe  &  Francis,  as  the 
successor  of  "  The  Monthly  Anthology1  or  Maga- 
zine of  Polite  Literature,"  edited  by  Sylvanus  Per-se, 
whose  real  name  was  Phineas  Adams.  Its  officers, 
now  elected,  are  John  Sylvester  John  Gardiner, 
President ;  Wm.  Emerson,  Vice  President ;  Arthur 
Maynard  Walter,  Secretary;  William  Smith  Shaw, 
Treasurer;  and  Samuel  Cooper  Thacher,  Editor. 

Oct.  14.  A  letter  from  Joshua  Belcher,  in  Bos- 
ton, stated  that  he  had  become  the  proprietor  of 

1  The  first  number  of  this  work  appeared  in  November,  1803. 


204  MEMORIALS   OF 

the  Boston  Weekly  Magazine,  published  by  Gilbert 
&,  Dean,  and  requested  Mr.  Shaw  to  encourage  the 
periodical  by  contributions  to  its  pages. 

Oct.  23.  "At  a  meeting  of  the  Anthology  So- 
ciety, at  Mr.  Gardiner's  in  Franklin  Place,  it  was 
voted,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Emerson,  seconded  by  Mr. 
Shaw,  that  a  Library  of  periodical  publications  be 
instituted  for  the  use  of  the  Society."  Several 
members,  of  whom  is  Mr.  Shaw,  make  donations 
towards  such  an  object.  Thus  commenced  the  nu- 
cleus of  the  Boston  Athenaeum. 

Oct.  30.  From  Dr.  Waterhouse  at  Cambridge. 
"  Dr.  Waterhouse  acknowledges  himself  gratified  in 
finding  that  any  part  of  his  communications  have 
met  the  approbation  of  the  editors  of  the  Monthly 
Anthology.  The  scientific  part  of  the  essays,  enti- 
tled The  Botanist,  are  transcripts  of  parts  of  a  course 
of  lectures,  began  about  eighteen  years  ago,  with  a 
view  of  introducing  and  establishing  natural  history, 
especially  botany,  in  the  University  at  Cambridge. 
Occurrences  and  local  circumstances  compelled  him 
to  drop  botany,  for  a  time,  to  make  room  for  the 
history  of  that  science  and  of  botanical  gardens. 
He  hopes,  however,  to  join  on  and  continue  the  thread 
of  the  discussion  from  Numbers  2,  3,  4,  and  5,  but 
his  quotidianical  lectures  prevent  it  for  the  present. 
Dr.  W.  dares  not  accept  the  invitation  to  review  any 
work  whatever ;  for  besides  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  subject,  a  reviewer  must  possess  a  rare 
assemblage  of  extraordinary  qualifications ;  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  that  of  thinking  down  all 
his  prejudices,  and  being  able,  with  the  clear  con- 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  205 

science  of  a  juror,  to  give  a  verdict  agreeably  to 
that  golden  rule  of  Shakspeare, 

'  Nothing  extenuate, 
Nor  set  down  aught  in  malice.' " 

Oct.  31.  Mr.  Shaw  is  chosen  by  the  Anthology 
Society,  to  write  a  retrospect  of  political  and  his- 
torical works,  daring  six  months,  for  their  peri- 
odical. 

Nov.  1.  Among  his  papers  is  an  interesting 
sketch  of  the  character  of  Dr.  James  Currie,  under 
this  date. 

Nov.  3.  A  communication  from  Josiah  Gluincy 
in  New  York,  relative  to  paying  the  expenses  of 
Professor  Peck,  of  Harvard  College,  while  in 
Europe. 

Nov.  4.  A  letter  from  Caleb  P.  Wayne  in  Phil- 
adelphia concerning  collections  for  the  Anthology 
Reading  Room.  "It  will  afford  me  much  pleasure 
to  aid  you  in  your  pursuits,  and  I  will  most  cheer- 
fully use  my  endeavors  to  procure  the  pamphlets 
you  are  anxious  to  obtain." 

Nov.  21.  The  Anthology  Society  appoint  Mr. 
Shaw  to  write  the  number,  called  The  Remarker, 
for  their  work. 

Dec.  25.  As  he  was  still  active  in  the  collecting 
of  tracts,  Josiah  Q,uincy  writes  him  from  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  "  I  retain  duplicates  here,  with  one  of 
which  I  mean  to  feed  your  hobby" 

Dec.  27.  From  John  Q,.  Adams  in  Washington 
to  Mr.  Shaw  in  Boston.  "I  have  to  thank  you  for 
the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  14th  inst.  and  for 


206  MEMORIALS   OF 

the  last  number  of  the  Anthology,  which  came  at  the 
same  time.  I  am  much  pleased  with  the  spirit  of 
this  publication,  which  appears  to  improve  as  it  ad- 
vances, and  which  I  hope  you  will  not  suffer  to  flag. 
You  observe  that  a  regular  contribution  from  me 
would  be  useful  to  the  success  of  the  work.  The 
state  of  my  health,  and  the  real  pressure  of  occupa- 
tions which  I  have  upon  me,  forbids  my  under- 
taking to  furnish  a  constant  portion  of  composition 
for  every  month.  I  hope  to  prove  my  good  will  to 
the  association  and  the  establishment  by  some  occa- 
sional assistance  from  time  to  time.  I  am  even 
now  reading  with  particular  attention  the  Life  of 
Washington,  with  a  view  to  the  promise  I  have 
made  respecting  it ;  and  although  its  accomplishment 
may  be  delayed  until  the  work  itself  shall  be  out 
complete,  I  shall  probably  make  up  in  point  of  quan- 
tity for  the  lapse  of  time.  I  shall  always  be  glad 
to  furnish  you  with  pamphlets  or  papers  which  may 
be  useful  to  you,  approving  much  the  additional 
eight  pages  you  propose  to  give  in  future  and  the 
objects  to  which  they  will  be  devoted.  But  I  ques- 
tion whether  you  will  have  space  enough  to  give 
the  Congressional  debates  on  interesting  subjects, 
unless  it  be  in  a  very  concise  abridgment  of  them. 

"  You  know  we  have  a  Tunisian  embassy  here, 
and  there  are  also  deputations  from  eight  or  ten 
Indian  tribes  on  visits  to  the  seat  of  government. 
The  Africans  and  Americans  sometimes  meet,  and 
are  objects  of  mutual  curiosity  to  each  other.  One 
of  the  committees  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
on  the  President's  message,  have  reported  to  build 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  207 

fifty  gun-boats  and  six  seventy-four  gun-ships.  The 
gun-boats  I  presume  will  pass ;  but  I  fear  the 
seventy-four's  will  sink  in  the  passage." 

Mr.  Shaw  reads  a  Review  of  the  Life  of  Dr.  John- 
son, President  of  Columbia  College,  N.  Y.,  before 
the  Anthology  Society,  which  they  accept  for  pub- 
lication. 

1806,  Jan.  2.  From  William  Cranch  in  Washing- 
ton. "  I  received  a  letter  from  you  some  time  ago, 
with  two  numbers  of  the  Anthology,  for  which  I 
thank  you.  I  have  delayed  answering  it,  in  the 
hope  that  I  should  be  able  to  promise  you  a  review 
of  the  work  you  mention  j  but  having  been  engaged 
in  court  every  day  since  the  receipt  of  your  letter, 
and  expecting  to  continue  so  engaged  until  the 
middle  of  April,  I  arn  afraid  I  shall  not  be  able  to 
comply  with  your  request  soon  enough  to  answer 
your  purpose." 


CHAPTER   X. 

Review— Anthology— Closed  doors  of  Congress— Thermometrical — 
Female  Asylum — Catastrophe  of  Ley  den — Reading  Room  in  Bos- 
ton—Guinea Ships— Ballston  Water— Fear  of  Political  Oppo- 
nents— Ree's  Cyclopedia — Rhetorical  Lectures — London— British 
Museum — Choice  of  a  Wife — Gleaner — Select  Speeches — Progress 
of  the  Reading  Room — Order  for  the  purchase  of  Books  in  Europe 
— History  of  New  England. 

1806,  Jan.  3.  A  letter  from  Miss  Hannah  Adams 
at  Medford.  An  extract  from  it  shows  her  accustom- 
ed modesty  as  a  writer.  "  In  compliance  with  your 
request,  I  have  carefully  perused  the  History  of 
North  and  South  America;  but  I  find  myself  so  de- 
ficient in  the  task  of  reviewing,  that  I  dare  not  sup- 
pose what  I  have  written  can  be  of  any  use  j  and 
I  feel  mortified  that  I  must  disappoint  your  expecta- 
tion in  this  respect." 

Jan.  6.  A  letter  from  Robert  Smith  in  Charles- 
ton. "  After  a  pleasing  though  somewhat  fatiguing 
journey,  I  have  arrived  at  this  place.  I  have 
now  to  request  the  favor  of  your  obtaining  the 
numbers  of  the  Anthology,  issued  subsequent  to  . 
July,  and  sending  them  to  me  by  the  first  safe  con- 
veyance. Remember  me  affectionately  to  such  of 
my  Massachusetts  friends  as  inquire  for  me.  Be 
assured,  I  often  reccollect  with  pleasure  the  delight- 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  209 

ful  hours  I  spent  with  them ;  scarcely  realize  they 
are  passed,  and  sigh  that  they  can  no  more  return. 
Tell  Mrs.  C.  that  a  barrel  of  potatoes  arrived  from 
my  plantation  too  late  to  go  in  the  last  vessel  to 
Boston.  But  I  will  take  advantage  of  the  next." 

Jan.  12.  Prom  Josiah  Q,uincy  in  Washington 
to  Shaw  in  Boston.  "  I  look  impatiently  for  letters 
from  you,  touching  local  news  and  interests.  Men 
who  write  me,  think  nothing  valuable  that  has 
relation  to  any  thing  else  than  the  great  affairs  of 
the  nation.  Now  I  love  a  little  plain  matter  of 
fact  about  the  common  affairs  of  the  town,  and  the 
little  alterations  which  gradually  take  place  in  our 
friendly  circles  and  neighborhood.  I  am  always 
willing  that  you  should  get  up  on  your  hobby, 
and  ride  down  half  the  letter  on  pamphlets  and 
Anthologies,  but  only  save  the  remainder  for  my 
special  accommodation,  for  a  detail  of  minute 
events.  As  to  what  we  are  doing  here,  the  papers 
will  inform  you  as  much  as  I  can  and  ought.  To- 
day is  the  sixth  of  our  successive  closed-door 
sessions.  Events  and  scenes  of  no  small  import 
agitate  and  divide  Congress.  I  have  seen  in  the 
publication  of  letters,  from  other  members  of  Con- 
gress, how  essential  it  is  to  maintain  even  an  over 
scrupulous  anxiety  upon  this  point.  You  must 
restrain  your  curiosity,  being  assured  that  time  will 
produce  you  an  ample  gratification." 

Jan.  22.  From  Nicholas  G.  Dufief  in  Philadel- 
phia. "More  honor  than  I  merit  has  been  done 
me  in  the  review  of  my  book.  Please  to  present 
for  me,  my  best  thanks  to  the  editors  j  inform  them 
19 


210  MEMORIALS    OF 

that  I  will  use  every  exertion  to  render  the  second 
edition,  which  I  am  preparing  for  the  press,  more 
worthy  of  their  notice.  I  have  collected  two  works 
for  the  Library  of  the  Anthology  :  Carr's  Northern 
Summer  and  the  Philadelphia  Greek  edition  of 
Xenophon.  Should  the  editors  think  them  deserv- 
ing attention,  I  shall  be  much  obliged  to  them  for 
their  favorable  mention,  as  it  may  be  of  service  to 
the  publishers." 

Jan.  27.  From  John  Q,.  Adams  in  Washington. 
11 1  have  this  morning  received  your  favor  of  the 
7th,  and  thank  you  for  it ;  I  should  be  glad  to 
thank  you  more  frequently  than  I  have  an  opportu- 
nity to  do  for  such  favors.  I  cannot  promise  to 
write  you  often  at  much  length,  but  I  shall  send 
you,  as  often  as  I  can,  documents  which  may  be  of 
use  to  you  ;  and  you  will  attribute  to  my  continual 
occupations,  from  which  I  cannot  now  at  least  take 
upon  myself  to  claim  an  exemption,  that  I  do  not 
write  you  with  more  prolixity. 

"  I  enclose  you  the  answers  to  the  queries  of  Mr. 
Thacher  which  you  sent  me  some  time  since,  and 
which  I  have  obtained  from  Mr.  Thurston,  one  of 
the  senators  from  the  State  of  Kentucky,  a  gentle- 
man of  the  profession,  in  whose  information  on  this 
subject  I  think  the  fullest  reliance  may  be  placed. 

"You  will  infer  from  the  documents  which  I 
have  sent,  for  you,  that  we  are  very  busy  upon 
affairs  of  a  public  nature,  and  from  the  frequency  of 
our  closed-door  deliberations  you  will  see  that  mat- 
ter for  secret  debate  is  not  wanting.  I  suppose  you 
will  see  in  the  newspapers  the  controversy  which 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  211 

has  arisen  between  our  Executive  and  the  Spanish 
Minister.  I  have,  however,  not  seen  the  publication 
myself.  Mr.  S.  H.  Smith  does  not  think  proper  to 
give  it  to  his  readers. 

"  I  shall  send  you  immediately  after  the  close  of 
this  month,  my  thermometrical  register,  in  such 
a  comparative  view,  that  if  you  have  kept  a  similar 
record  at  Boston,  you  can  show  in  one  view  a  par- 
allel between  the  temperature  of  the  two  climates 
at  the  same  times;  and  it  will  make  a  good  monthly 
page  for  the  Anthology." 

March  6.  As  a  member  of  the  Anthology  Society, 
Mr.  Shaw  receives  a  communication,  relative  to  a 
sermon  preached  by  Mr.  Emerson  before  the  Boston 
Female  Asylum.  It  disapproves  of  the  opinion  ex- 
pressed by  the  preacher  concerning  those  who  were 
unfriendly  to  the  institution.  The  writer  of  it 
says :  "  I  know  several  persons  whose  judgment 
cannot  be  impeached,  whose  liberality  was  never 
called  in  question,  and  whose  general  deportment 
appears  to  be  governed  by  the  principles  of  the  reli- 
gion of  Jesus,  who  have  their  doubts  of  the  ulti- 
mate benefit  of  this  establishment,  who  have  there- 
fore not  patronized  it ;  but,  on  good  grounds,  as  they 
have  thought,  have  slightly  opposed  it."  This  pas- 
sage is  presented  as  a  historical  item  of  the  Asylum 
which  has  been  prospered  and  now  accommodates 
its  inmates  with  buildings  and  grounds  of  con- 
venience and  pleasantness. 

March  13.  Prom  President  John  Adams  in 
Q,uincy.  "  The  catastrophe  of  Leyden  is  to  me  a 
most  affecting  event ;  a  beautiful  city  where  I  resided 


212  ,      MEMORIALS   OP 

with  my  children  many  months,  and  where  I  at- 
tended divine  service  on  Sundays  in  the  venerable 
temple  where  Mr.  Robinson  and  his  congregation 
worshiped  for  a  dozen  years  before  their  pilgrimage 
to  Plymouth.  This  very  ancient  and  revered  edi- 
fice is  now,  probably,  a  mass  of  ruins.  The  Uni- 
versity of  Leyden,  with  all  its  renown,  is  another 
confused  heap.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  be  known  to 
the  public  as  a  lover  of  Leyden." 

In  the  spring  of  this  year,  Mr.  Shaw  enters  on 
the  duties  of  clerk  of  the  United  States  district 
court.  He  received  this  appointment  from  the  Hon. 
John  Davis,  then  and  long  afterwards  judge  of  the 
same  court.  He  did  this  with  the  expectation,  that 
he  should  not  only  have  increased  means  to  supply 
his  personal  wants  ;  but  especially  to  aid  others  and 
promote  his  strong  wish  for  the  advancement  of 
literature  and  science. 

May  2.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Anthology  Society, 
they  consider  the  question  as  to  the  establishment 
of  a  reading-room  in  Boston.  "  Some  conversation 
had  formerly  taken  place  on  this  subject,  in  which 
Mr.  Shaw  was  principally  active  j  he  now  brought 
it  forward  for  more  general  discussion."  After  re- 
marks by  the  members,  Mr.  Shaw's  motion  for  a 
committee  to  consider  and  report  on  the  matter,  was 
adopted.  Referring  to  this  subject,  the  Hon.  Josiah 
duincy  remarked  l  as  follows :  "  The  tact  of  Wil- 
liam Smith  Shaw  first  discerned  a  way  of  escape 
from  their  difficulties.  Having  formed  the  opinion 

1  In  his  Address  of  April  27,  1847,  at  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone of  the  new  edifice  for  the  Athenaeum. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  213 

that,  by  asking  from  the  community  only  a  small 
pecuniary  advance,  and  by  promising  a  quick  return 
in  pleasure  and  information,  what  a  love  of  letters 
might  not  effect,  a  love  of  novelty  and  amusement 
might  obtain,  he  proposed,  and,  on  his  motion  and 
active  urgency,  the  associated  scholars  were  per- 
suaded to  attempt  establishing  a  reading-room,  to  be 
called,  after  the  name  of  their  Society,  'The  An- 
thology Reading-Room.'  " 

May  6.  The  committee  meet  at  Rev.  Mr.  Gardi- 
ner's. The  chairman,  Mr.  Shaw,  read  a  prospectus, 
which  they  accepted  with  some  alterations.  In  the 
afternoon  it  was  adopted  by  the  Society.  It  was 
immediately  printed  and  circulated.  The  caption 
of  it  and  a  sentence  or  two  follow : 

11  Proposal  for  the  Establishing  of  a  Reading- 
Room  in  Boston,  to  be  called  The  Anthology  Read- 
ing-Room.  The  editors  of  the  Anthology,  in  pre- 
senting the  following  proposal  for  the  establishment 
of  a  public  reading-room,  in  this  town,  by  sub- 
scription, to  be  called  The  Anthology  Reading- 
Room^  flatter  themselves,  that  a  project  which  may 
be  made  so  auxiliary  to  literature,  and  so  useful  to 
the  public,  will  receive  ample  patronage  from  the 
liberal  gentlemen  of  Boston.  The  projected  plan 
will  not  only  afford  the  subscribers  an  agreeable  place 
of  resort,  but  opportunities  of  literary  intercourse, 
and  the  pleasure  of  perusing  the  principal  European 
and  American  periodical  publications,  at  an  expense 
not  exceeding  that  of  a  single  daily  paper."  The 
room  was  to  be  opened  from  nine  o'clock  in  the 
19* 


214  MEMORIALS   OF 

morning  till  nine  in  the  evening.  Each  subscriber 
was  to  pay  ten  dollars  a  year. 

June  9.  From  Joseph  S.  Buckminster  in  Liver- 
pool. "  My  happiness  in  this  place  would  be  as 
great  as  any  stranger  could  enjoy,  if  I  could  only 
dismiss  for  a  time  the  recollection  of  Boston  and 
the  friends  whom  I  left  there.  England,  with  all 
her  learning,  luxury  and  arts,  has  riot  yet  furnished 
me  with  any  pleasure  equivalent  to  that  which  I  re- 
linquished when  I  broke  away  from  the  circle  of 
beloved  acquaintances  in  Boston,  who  were  bound 
to  me  by  all  the  enthusiasm  of  literature,  by  habits 
of  daily  intimacy,  by  similarity  of  pursuits  and  of 
age,  and  by  the  still  finer  ties  of  that  holy  affection, 
on  which  Cicero  has  written  that  golden  treatise, 
and  I  believe  I  may  also  add,  by  the  bonds  of  Chris- 
tian charity  and  love.  I  promised  you  some  literary 
intelligence  as  soon  as  I  could  find  any  in  this  focus 
of  Guinea  ships."  He  then  proceeds  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  literary  societies  in  that  city.  He  was  an- 
ticipating an  interview  with  Roscoe,  the  noted 
author.  He  was  informed  that  Southey  wrote  the 
Review  of  Malthus  on  Population.  He  closes : 
•"  Give  my  love  to  those  whom  I  love.  I  will  trust 
your  knowledge  of  my  partialities.  Do  not  forget 
to  write  me  particularly;  nothing  can  be  uninterest- 
ing. Trifles  light  as  air  about  any  of  my  friends, 
if  wafted  across  the  Atlantic,  will  be  to  me  more 
precious  than  all  the  Pythagorean  sentences,  and 
will  be  devoured  with  more  eagerness  than  the 
news  of  the  battle  of  Trafalgar." 

June   23.    From    Theodore    Sedgwick,    Jr.,   in 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  215 

Albany.  After  speaking  of  a  literary  criticism, 
which  he  communicated  for  the  Anthology,  he  closes 
in  the  language,  "  When  I  was  in  Boston,  you  gave 
me  no  reason  to  hope  that  I  should  see  you  here  in 
the  course  of  the  summer.  Such  an  event,  how- 
ever, would  give  me  unfeigned  pleasure.  As  an 
inducement  for  such  a  jaunt,  I  have  nothing  more 
to  offer  you  than  Ballston  water,  pure  air,  a  blue 
sky  and  a  welcome  friend." 

July  10.  From  a  letter  of  John  Q,.  Adams  to  Mr. 
Shaw,  the  eloquent  lectures  of  the  former,  as  pro- 
fessor of  rhetoric  in  Harvard  College,  were  to  com- 
mence at  two  o'clock  of  the  next  day. 

July  14.  By  a  letter  from  a  State  committee  of 
the  federal  party  to  Mr.  Shaw,  as  their  secretary, 
it  appears  that  they  really  feared,  that  their  political 
opponents  intended,  if  successful  in  their  purpose, 
to  interpret  and  apply  the  constitution  so  that  they 
might  get  "  the  property  of  the  rich  "  arid  control 
"  the  existing  rights  of  the  citizens."  Then  both 
of  these  parties  had  not  sufficiently  tried  each  other 
to  be  free  from  the  apprehension,  that  each,  if  having 
the  dominancy,  would  ruin  the  liberties  of  our  re- 
public. Time  has  shown  that  both  might  have 
been  trusted. 

July  16.  A  letter  from  Munroe  &  Francis  to  Mr. 
Shaw,  states  their  opinion,  as  publishers  of  the  An- 
thology, that  this  periodical  must  cease  unless  it  has 
more  subscribers  ;  it  has  only  440,  while  the  Liter- 
ary Messenger  has  600,  and  the  Portfolio  1,500. 

July  22.  Among  the  papers  of  Mr.  Shaw  is  a 
protest  of  Boston  gentlemen,  who  were  subscribers 


216  MEMORIALS  OF 

to  the  American  edition  of  Ree's  Cyclopaedia,  pub- 
lished in  Philadelphia.  It  complains  that  the  editors 
have  omitted  some  passages,  contrary  to  their  ex- 
pressed purpose.  It  particularly  refers  to  the  char- 
acter of  Abernethy,  as  not  being  fully  given  as  to 
his  religious  sentiments.  It  states  that  a  similar 
remonstrance  had  been  made  by  subscribers  of  Sa- 
lem and  vicinity.  One  of  its  closing  passages  is 
as  follows  :  "  We  sincerely  regret  that  any  reason 
has  been  given  for  a  remonstrance  of  this  nature  ; 
being  reluctant  at  creating  any  ernbarassrnent  to  the 
enterprising  editors,  to  whom  we  wish  all  merited 
success  in  their  arduous  and  expensive  undertaking. 
But  the  subject  of  our  complaint  involves  consider- 
ations too  interesting  to  be  regarded  with  indiffer- 
ence, and  we  are  persuaded  that  we  ought  not  to 
repress  our  discontent  or  dissemble  our  disaffection." 

July  25.  William  Meredith  of  Philadelphia  to 
Mr.  Shaw.  "  Accept  my  thanks  for  the  copy  of 
Mr.  Adams's  Inaugural  Discourse.  I  have  read  it 
with  great  satisfaction  and  pleasure.  It  has  strength- 
ened the  respect  which  I  have  ever  entertained  for 
that  gentleman  since  I  first  had  an  opportunity  of 
being  acquainted  with  his  distinguished  merit." 
The  discourse  here  mentioned,  was  spoken  when 
John  Q,.  Adams  was  installed  the  first  Boylston  Pro- 
fessor of  Rhetoric  and  Oratory  in  Harvard  College. 

July  28.  From  Samuel  C.  Thacher  in  London. 
"  I  am  unwilling  to  suffer  an  opportunity  to 
escape  without  making  myself  your  creditor  for 
a  letter.  I  doubted  when  I  left  you  whether  it 
were  possible  to  equal  expectations  so  extravagant 
as  mine  were  j  but  great  as  they  were,  London,  I 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  217 

confess,  surpasses  them.  Not  that  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  splendor  immediately  visible.  I  even  think 
that  Mount  Vernon  in  Boston  at  first  sight,  impresses 
a  stranger  with  an  idea  of  greater  magnificence, 
than  any  part  of  London  of  equal  extent.  But  it  is 
the  prodigious  variety  of  objects  collected  on  one 
spot,  from  every  quarter  of  the  earth,  that  fills  me 
with  astonishment.  Every  sense  is  incessantly 
active,  and  as  you  pass  Fleet  street,  where  you 
remember  the  Doctor  says  is  seen  the  full  tide  of 
human  existence,  you  know  what  is  meant  by  the 
toil  of  admiration.  We  both  agree,  however,  that 
there  is  no  single  object  to  be  compared  in  sublimity 
to  St.  Paul's.  Its  vastness  is  at  first  lost  in  the  per- 
fection of  its  proportions,  notwithstanding  it  towers 
far  above  every  thing  near  it  and  spreads  itself  over 
a  surprising  extent.  I  am  not  architect  enough  to 
tell  you  where  are  its  defects,  or  what  are  the  par- 
ticular beauties  from  which  the  general  effect  results. 
It  is  a  common  objection,  that  its  interior  is  too 
naked  and  destitute  of  decoration.  I  suspect,  how- 
ever, this  to  be  an  objection  of  one  who  judges  by 
rule,  more  than  by  feeling.  It  is  true,  when  you 
first  enter  the  building,  the  eye  finds  nothing  to  re- 
pose on,  and  the  light  admitted  is  so  dim  and  mel- 
ancholy, that  you  scarcely  see  its  boundaries,  and 
seem  walking  under  a  canopy  of  almost  immeas- 
urable extent.  As  you  enter,  you  take  off  your  hat 
instinctively,  and  the  echo  of  your  footsteps  from 
the  marble  pavement  as  you  proceed  is  dull  and 
solemn.  One  must  indeed  be  heavy  of  head  and 
cold  of  heart  to  enter  St.  Paul's  for  the  first  time 


218  MEMORIALS    OF 

with  only  common  emotions.  Jt  seems  to  me,  how- 
ever, that  much  of  this  effect  would  be  lost,  if  there 
were  anything  on  which  the  attention  could  repose  ; 
it  might  perhaps  better  bear  criticism  ;  but  feeling 
is  elder  than  criticism  and  above  it.  I  had  rather 
be  deluded  by  imagination  than  frozen  by  taste. 

"I  have  had  the  privilege  of  seeing  several  men 
of  literature  ;  such  as  Mr.  Belsham,  Dr.  Rees,  Mr. 
Tooke,  the  Aikin  family,  &c.  Scarcely  any  man 
is  so  great  as  he  appears  to  be  on  paper,  and  with 
several  of  the  gentlemen  I  was  at  first  disappointed. 
I  was  not  induced  to  think,  however,  that  their  rep- 
utation was  undeserved  ;  and  they  indeed  appear  to 
culminate  the  longer  they  are  viewed.  I  lately  met 
a  Mr.  Duhurst,  a  gentlemen  apparently  of  very  ex- 
tensive learning,  who  gave  me  some  information  you 
may  value.  Porson,  it  seems,  has  fallen  into  incur- 
able indolence,  and  no  hope  is  entertained  of  his 
proceeding  farther  with  Euripides.  There  is,  it 
seems,  a  manuscript  of  the  Odyssey  in  the  British 
Museum,  which  has  never  been  collated,  and  which 
appears  to  contain  some  important  scholia.  Of  these 
Wolfe  in  his  last  edition  of  Homer  calls  on  Porson 
to  give  an  edition  ;  but  without  effect.  He  tells 
me  also  that  it  is  not  expected  that  Heyne  will  ever 
publish  his  Odyssey,  from  the  persecution  he  has 
experienced  from  Wolfe  and  his  followers.  So 
much  for  the  learned  world.  I  am  sorry  your  com- 
mission by  the  Galen  has  not  yet  arrived  ;  but  I  am 
not  without  hope,  that  it  may  yet  arrive  before  we 
depart  for  the  Continent.  Remember  us  at  the 
club.  Tell  Mr.  Gardiner,  that  his  former  master, 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  219 

Mr.  Beloe,  the  translator  of  Herodotus,  has  been  re- 
cently dismissed  from  his  office  of  curator  of  the 
British  Museum.  Remember  me  particularly  and 
cordially  to  Dana,  and  take  for  yourself,  my  dear 
Shaw,  an  assurance  of  my  sincere  affection." 

Aug.  24.  From  Mr.  Shaw's  mother  to  him. 
"There  is  nothing  in  this  world,  which  lies  nearer  to 
my  heart,  or  more  deeply  affects  my  mind,  than  the 
welfare  of  my  two  children,  both  here  and  here- 
after. You  judged  rightly  when  you  remarked, 
that  you  believed  I  should  rejoice  at  your  late 
appointment  to  office.  For  this  unexpected  favor 
you  should  be  grateful  to  Him  who  has  said,  'I 
will  be  a  God  to  you  and  to  your  children.'  The 
prayers  offered  and  the  blessings  implored  by  your 
pious  ancestors,  may  now  be  answered,  in  part,  as 
to  your  success.  Whoever  sustains  such  promo- 
tion, is  a  servant  of  the  people  and  responsible  for 
its  being  equitably  applied.  Bad  as  the  world  is, 
it  never  requires  the  sacrifice  of  truth,  justice  and 
magnanimity  for  the  attainment  of  its  applause,  but 
renders  the  practice  of  these  virtues  essential  to 
secure  its  smile  and  support.  But  the  approbation 
of  others  and  emoluments  of  business  are  not  all 
which  constitute  the  enjoyment  of  social  life. 
You  will  need  a  friend,  to  sympathize  with  you  in 
the  trials  of  your  temporal  course  and  rejoice  with 
you  in  your  happiness.  Whenever  your  income 
allows,  make  no  delay.  Your  lot  has  fallen  among 
some  of  the  loveliest  of  women.  You  must  have 
imbibed  a  high  idea  of  female  excellence.  Be  cir- 
cumspect. Let  economy,  industry,  amiableness, 


220  MEMORIALS   OP 

intelligence  and  virtue,  be  among  the  higher  requi- 
sites, while  beauty  and  fortune  are  but  secondary 
objects.  Believe  me,  my  son,  when  I  say,  that 
there  is  no  condition  in  life  which  may  be  so  pro- 
ductive of  genuine  happiness,  as  that  which  our 
Lord  instituted  and  sanctioned  by  his  presence. 
Let  your  fancy  be  approved  by  sound  judgment. 
Then  you  may  find  blessings  twisted  with  your 
bonds.  As  I  seldom  say  anything  upon  political 
affairs,  you  may  think  my  letters  very  uninteresting. 
But  when  we  consider  the  fatal  effects  of  party 
virulence  in  the  recent  affair  of  Selfridge  and  Austin, 
we  are  shocked.  We  cannot  be  too  much  on  our 
guard  against  political  slander,  malice  and  revenge. 
It  is  no  evidence  of  a  good  cause,  when  such  pas- 
sions prevail." 

Oct.  13.  From  Richard  Peters,  Jr.,  of  Philadel- 
phia. "  At  the  request  of  my  friend,  Doctor  Chap- 
man, I  some  days  since  forwarded  to  you  a  number 
of  his  proposals  for  printing  a  work,  in  which  I  am 
persuaded  you  will  take  great  interest,  as  its  merits 
will  fully  reward  its  patrons.  The  work  to  which 
I  allude  is  entitled.  '  Select  Speeches,'  etc.  The 
first  efforts  of  a  man  of  singular  literary  attainments 
should  be  encouraged  by  all  who  love  the  cause  of 
learning  and  talents,  but  when  this  effort  is  directed 
to  so  useful  a  purpose  as  this  of  our  friend  Chap- 
man, the  incitement  to  reward  it,  is  much  increased. 
It  will  be  in  your  power  to  obtain  a  very  extensive 
addition  to  the  Doctor's  list  of  subscribers,  and  his 
thanks  will  be  sincerely  tendered  to  you." 

Oct.  25.    Benjamin   Vaughan    at    Hallowell    to 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  221 

Stephen  Higginson.  "  Mr.  Shaw  having  applied 
to  my  son  for  the  loan  of  some  books  to  be  put 
into  a  reading-room,  and  the  benevolence  of  both 
your  characters  inducing  me  to  believe  that  you 
are  acquainted  with  that  gentleman  ;  I  take  the 
liberty  to  give  you  the  following  information.  All 
our  duplicates  and  triplicates  are  already  lent,  and 
in  this  retired  situation,  we  find  it  convenient  to  re- 
tain the  remainder.  When  in  London,  in  1785,  we 
lent  several  hundred  books  to  the  London  library 
on  Ludgate  Hill.  We  have  received  a  part  of  them, 
and  the  rest  continue  there." 

Oct.  30.  The  Anthology  Society  transfer  their 
library  and  the  control  of  their  room  to  five  trustees. 
The  names  of  these  were,  William  Emerson,  John 
T.  Kirkland,  Peter  O.  Thacher,  William  S.  Shaw 
and  Arthur  M.  Walter.  Among  their  designated 
duties  was  to  "  obtain  subscriptions,  donations  and 
deposits."  So  indefatigable  was  Mr.  Shaw  in  the 
continued  performance  of  such  onerous  service,  that 
he  was  generally  called  "  Athenaeum  Shaw." 

Nov.  8.  Rev.  John  Eliot  notifies  Mr.  Shaw  that 
he  is  elected  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  His- 
torical Society. 

Nov.  19.  Mrs.  Murray,  whose  husband  was  a 
clergyman,  writes  to  Mr.  Shaw  and  other  conductors 
of  the  Anthology,  that  she  wishes  their  work  to 
notice  a  publication  of  hers,  called  the  Gleaner. 

Dec.  1.  Mr.  Shaw's  letter  to  Joseph  S.  Buck- 
minster.  "I  know  you  will  be  delighted  to  hear 
of  the  progress  we  have  made  in  the  reading-room 
and  library,  which  has  much  surpassed  the  expecta- 
20 


222  MEMORIALS   OF 

tion  of  even  the  most  sanguine  of  us.  We  have 
one  hundred  and  sixty  subscribers,  at  ten  dollars  a 
year,  consisting  of  the  most  respectable  gentlemen 
in  Boston,  with  the  probability  of  having  two  hun- 
dred subscribers,  at  least,  the  moment  the  rooms 
are  opened.  We  have  taken  rooms  in  Congress 
street,  in  what  are  called  Joy's  Buildings,  which 
we  shall  occupy  till  the  spring,  when  we  expect  to 
be  able  to  procure  more  commodious  rooms.  We 
have  had  nearly  a  thousand  volumes  of  valuable 
books  presented  to  us,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars  in  cash.  The  institution  is  a  very  popular 
one,  and  there  is  a  strong  inclination  discovered  to 
patronize  it  on  a  very  extensive  plan ;  and  I  have 
very  little  doubt,  that  in  a  few  years  we  shall  see  a 
library  in  our  beloved  Boston  inferior  to  none  in 
America.  If  we  do  not,  it  will  be  owing  altogether 
to  a  want  of  exertion  on  the  part  of  our  literary 
men,  whose  duty  it  is  to  awake  from  their  stupid 
lethargy,  and  to  rescue  our  country  from  the  scorn 
arid  derision  which  now  lie  so  heavily  upon  her. 

"We  propose  that  the  whole  property  of  the 
institution  shall  be  vested  in  a  number  of  trustees, 
not  exceeding  eleven,  seven  of  whom  to  be  chosen 
from  the  Anthology  Society,  the  remaining  four  to 
be  gentlemen  out  of  the  Society ;  the  trustees  so 
chosen  to  have  the  sole  and  exclusive  management 
of  the  institution.  Dr.  Kirkland,  Mr.  Emerson, 
Peter  O.  Thacher,  Walter  and  myself,  are  chosen  from 
the  Anthology  Society,  and  we  intend  to  choose 
your  honor  to  be  one  the  moment  you  come  home. 
Chief  Justice  Parsons,  Mr.  John  Lowell,  and  Mr. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  223 

Freeman  we  have  also  chosen,  none  of  whom 
have  yet  made  known  their  acceptance  but  Mr. 
Parsons,  who  very  readily  complied  with  our  request, 
much  to  the  joy  of  us  all.  As  soon  as  the  trustees 
can  be  called  together,  they  are  to  choose  a  Pres- 
ident, Vice  President,  Recording  and  Corresponding 
Secretaries,  Treasurer,  &tc.  &.c.  Mr.  Parsons  is  to 
be  chosen  President,  Walter  will  probably  be  cho- 
sen Corresponding  Secretary,  and  your  humble  ser- 
vant, Recorder. 

"In  drawing  up  the  regulations,  we  have  fol- 
lowed very  closely  the  laws  of  the  Athenaeum  of 
Liverpool,  for  which  I  am  greatly  indebted  to  your 
kindness  in  transmitting  immediately  on  your  arri- 
val at  Liverpool.  It  is  an  admirable  institution,  and 
we  intend  to  make  ours  as  much  like  that  as  the 
different  circumstances  of  the  two  countries  will 
admit.  I  pray  you  to  make  it  an  object  to  collect 
as  much  information  as  will  be  in  your  power  re- 
specting all  literary  societies,  catalogues  of  their 
libraries,  their  laws,  &c.  &c.  They  will  be  pleas- 
ant to  have  in  our  reading-room,  at  least,  and  thus 
may  be  made  useful  in  America,  to  stimulate  our 
countrymen  to  some  important  mental  exertions.  I 
wish  you  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  avail  yourself 
of  the  advantages  your  residence  in  London  this 
winter  will  afford  you,  to  collect  information  rela- 
tive to  the  literature  of  England,  its  colleges,  schools, 
scientific  institutions,  literary  men,  &c.  &ic.,  and 
publish  a  series  of  papers  in  our  dearly  cherished 
*  Anthology  '  on  the  present  state  of  English  liter- 
ature, which  I  am  very  certain  would  be  novel, 


224  MEMORIALS  OF 

interesting,  and  useful  to  the  people  of  this  country. 
Write  a  series  of  letters  from  England  to  us  in 
America,  as  Laharpe  wrote  from  Paris  to  the 
Emperor  Paul  the  First,  of  Russia.  He  was 
engaged  in  a  correspondence  with  the  emperor  for 
five  years,  which,  since  Laharpe's  death,  have  been 
published  in  four  volumes.  He  sent  to  the  young 
prince  all  the  literary  and  political  news  of  Paris, 
and  judged  of  men  and  books  with  all  the  freedom 
which  a  literary  correspondence  admits.  The  work 
is  wonderfully  interesting.  It  will  be  read  by  men 
of  letters  and  men  of  fashion.  The  first  will  find 
much  correct  criticism  ;  the  second,  pleasant  anec- 
dote, and  all  variety,  which  you  know  is  always 
charming. 

11 1  inclose  to  you  with  this  a  bill  of  exchange, 
payable  to  you,  and  drawn  upon  Samuel  Williams, 
Esq.,  for  six  hundred  dollars, — five  hundred  of 
which  are  to  be  expended  in  procuring  books  for 
the  reading-room,  and  to  be  sent  out  as  early  in  the 
spring  as  possible.  The  intention  of  the  trustees 
is  to  appropriate  the  money  arising  from  subscrip- 
tions as  follows : — After  the  necessary  expenses  of 
the  institution  are  paid,  the  first  object  will  be  to 
provide  for  the  rooms  all  the  celebrated  gazettes 
published  in  any  part  of  the  United  States;  the 
most  interesting  literary  and  political  pamphlets 
in  Europe  and  America ;  magazines,  reviews,  and 
scientific  journals  in  the  English  and  French  lan- 
guages ;  London  and  Paris  newspapers ;  Steele's 
Army  and  Navy  List,  Naval  Chronicle,  London 
and  Paris  booksellers'  catalogues,  Parliamentary 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  225 

debates,  bibliographical  works,  voyages,  travels  and 
valuable  maps  and  charts.  The  gazettes  and  pam- 
phlets of  our  own  country  we  can,  of  course,  pro- 
cure without  troubling  you ;  but  we  wish  you  to 
take  such  measures  as  will  ensure  to  us  the  early 
transmission  of  all  interesting  pamphlets  published 
in  England  on  important  subjects, — the  average 
amount  for  the  year  not  to  exceed  three  dollars  per 
month  ;  that  is,  we  are  willing  to  appropriate  thirty- 
six  dollars  a  year  of  our  funds  for  English  pam- 
phlets, including  booksellers'  catalogues.  If  your 
friends,  Mr.  Samuel  and  Francis  Williams,  could 
be  persuaded  to  undertake  this  commission  after 
you  leave  England,  they  would  be  the  best  men  in 
the  world  for  this  purpose.  At  any  rate,  we  can 
depend  on  your  selecting  some  person  of  judgment 
in  whom  we  may  confide,  for  the  punctual  discharge 
of  this  part  of  our  engagement  to  supply  the  room 
with  English  pamphlets. 

"  English  magazines,  reviews,  &c.  These  pub- 
lications we  have  thought  it  most  expedient  to  pro- 
cure, for  the  present  at  least,  through  the  agency  of 
Mr.  William  Skinner,  an  English  gentleman  con- 
nected with  a  house  in  London,  whose  card  I 
inclose  to  you,  and  would  wish  you  to  call 
upon  them  and  converse  with  them  on  the  objects 
of  the  institution,  and  urge  upon  them  the  neces- 
sity of  most  punctual  communication.  I  inclose  to 
you  a  list  of  all  the  publications  we  have  ordered 
from  England,  with  a  request  that  you  would  order 
any  others  you  should  think  proper.  We  wish  par- 
ticularly for  Dr.  Aikin's  new  magazine,  the  Athe- 
20* 


226  MEMORIALS  OF 

nseum,  Arthur  Aikin's  Annual  Review,  to  be  sent 
out  in  numbers,  beginning  with  the  first  number  of 
the  fifth  volume,  and  indeed  for  all  the  distinguished 
periodical  journals  in  England.  If  you  think,  there- 
fore, that  we  have  not  ordered  a  sufficient  number, 
you  are  at  perfect  liberty  to  make  any  additions  you 
please.  You  will  observe,  that  we  have  only  sent 
for  three  newspapers, — the  Morning  Chronicle,  the 
Courier,  and  Bell's  Weekly  Messenger, — which  are 
as  many  as  we  thought  our  funds  would  allow  of 
at  present.  If  you  think  we  ought  to  have  one 
more,  you  may  direct  it  to  be  sent  to  us.  To  col- 
lect valuable  maps  and  charts  is  one  of  the  prime 
objects  of  the  institution,  and  ought  to  be  immedi- 
ately attended  to.  You  will  therefore  appropriate 
a  part  of  the  money  sent  you  with  this  (say,  per- 
haps, one  hundred  dollars)  to  the  purchasing  of  two 
or  three  good  atlases  of  standard  reputation. 

"After  having  furnished  the  room  with  newspa- 
pers, magazines,  maps  and  charts,  &c.  &,c.,  as  above 
mentioned,  the  second  object  of  the  trustees  will 
be  to  supply  the  library  with  the  most  valuable 
encyclopaedias  of  the  arts  and  sciences  in  the 
French  and  English  languages,  with  standard  dic- 
tionaries of  the  learned  and  modern  languages  j  also 
dictionaries,  critical,  biographical,  &c.,  and  books 
of  general  reference,  useful  to  the  merchant  and 
scholar.  We  have  already  procured  the  American 
edition  of  Rees's  Encyclopedia,  as  far  as  it  has  been, 
published.  We  have  also  had  presented  to  us  a 
superb  edition  of  Dr.  Aikin's  Johnson's  Dictionary, 
in  four  large  octavo  volumes,  by  my  friend  Joseph 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  227 

Tilden.  Books  printed  on  the  continent  we  can 
probably  purchase  cheaper  by  sending  to  Paris  and 
Holland,  than  you  could  be  able  to  procure  them  in 
London.  I  should  not,  therefore,  advise  you  to 
purchase  books  of  this  kind;  but  of  this  you  will 
be  a  much  better  judge  than  myself.  I  merely 
mention  it  by  way  of  suggestion,  leaving  it  en- 
tirely to  your  discretion.  Some  of  the  money,  I 
should  think,  ought  to  be  appropriated  to  purchase 
standard  works  upon  commerce  and  books  of  use- 
ful reference  to  the  merchants,  as  most  of  our  sub- 
scribers are  of  this  class.  Mr.  Samuel  Williams 
could  recommend  to  you  some  books  of  this  kind. 
There  is  a  work  on  this  subject  reviewed  in  the 
sixteenth  number  of  the  Edinburgh  Review,  enti- 
tled, I  believe,  Macpherson's  '  Annals  of  Com- 
merce,' which  I  should  think  we  ought  to  have. 
You  ought  to  send  us  out,  also,  some  miscellaneous 
books,  useful  to  the  loungers, — such,  perhaps,  as  a 
complete  edition  of  the  English  classics,  such  as 
the  Spectator,  Guardian,  &c.,  with  Drake's  Essays 
on  these  periodical  writers,  &c.  &c.  The  books 
you  purchase  must  be  all  good  editions,  printed  on 
good  paper,  and  well  bound ;  but  take  care  not  to 
be  too  extravagant. 

"  I  have  thus,  my  dear  Buckminster,  detailed  to  you 
the  objects  to  which  we  conceive  the  income  of  our 
institution  ought  for  the  present  to  be  appropriated, 
and,  with  this  information,  send  the  five  hundred 
dollars  to  you  to  procure  such  books  for  the  institution 
as  your  judgment  shall  dictate,  with  an  entire  con- 
fidence that  the  money  will  be  appropriated  in  such 


228  MEMORIALS  OF 

a  manner  as  will  advance  the  interests  and  extend 
the  patronage  of  the  establishment,  which  I  am 
very  sensible  you  have  much  at  heart.  All  the 
newspapers  and  literary  publications,  which  we 
procure  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Skinner,  we 
expect  to  pay  for  here,  and  have  made  our  arrange- 
ments accordingly. 

"  You  must  be  very  sensible,  that  the  success  of 
an  institution  like  ours  will  depend  very  much  on 
the  punctuality  and  despatch  with  which  we  receive 
our  foreign  newspapers,  pamphlets,  new  books  and 
periodical  publications.  I  cannot  urge  upon  you, 
therefore,  too  strongly  the  necessity  of  adopting 
such  measures,  before  you  embark  for  this  country, 
as  will  best  secure  to  us  these  great  objects.  I 
would  beg  leave  to  suggest  to  you  the  expediency 
of  selecting  a  confidential  bookseller  in  London ; 
promise  that  we  will  purchase  all  our  books  of 
him;  let  him  supply  us  with  all  our  newspapers, 
magazines,  &.C., — in  short,  every  thing  we  shall 
want  from  England ;  tell  him  that  our  institution 
promises  to  be  a  permanent  one,  that  we  shall 
probably  send  to  England  from  one  thousand  to 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  per  year,  to  be  expended  in 
books.  With  such  inducements,  I  should  think 
some  one  might  be  persuaded  to  make  considerable 
exertion  to  comply  with  our  requisitions.  If  you 
should  adopt  any  plan  of  this  kind,  you  must  give 
information  to  Skinner's  house,  in  London. 

"  I  send  you  one  hundred  dollars,  on  my  own 
account,  with  which  I  wish  you  to  procure  for 
me  the  best  edition  of  Shakspeare's  Plays,  with 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  229 

all  the  prefaces,  notes,  commentaries,  &ic.  &c., 
which  I  suppose  to  be  Reed's;  Dr.  Aikin's  edition 
of  Dr.  Johnson's  Dictionary,  in  four  volumes,  octa- 
vo, both  to  be  well  bound  in  calf;  Dibdin's  Biblio- 
graphical works  ;  and  if  these  should  not  amount 
to  one  hundred  dollars,  any  other  books  you  may 
please  to  procure  for  me.  Alas  !  I  have  no  more 
time  to  write  at  present.  Remember  me  most  affec- 
tionately to  Mr.  Thacher.  Consult  him  about  the 
reading-room." 

Dec.  13.  William  S.  Shaw  to  J.  S.  Buckminster. 
"  I  wrote  to  you  by  the  Galen  a  long  letter,  and 
inclosed  to  you  a  bill  of  exchange  drawn  upon 
Samuel  Williams,  Esquire,  for  six  hundred  dollars, 
which  letter  I  presume  you  have  received.  It 
ought  to  be  a  considerable  object,  I  should  think, 
in  the  purchase  of  books  for  our  library,  to  procure 
such  valuable  works  as  are  least  common  in  this 
town  and  most  difficult  to  be  procured  in  this  coun- 
try. The  publications  relative  to  the  literary  fund 
in  England  I  have  never  seen  in  this  country,  and, 
if  they  have  any  merit,  I  think  you  had  best  pro- 
cure them Rare  books  relative  to  the 

history  of  this  country,  or  the  West  India  Islands, 
&c.  &c.,  ought  to  be  obtained.  The  publications  of 
literary  associations  of  eminence  in  Great  Britain 
we  ought  to  procure.  Perhaps  such  letters  might 
be  addressed  to  the  societies  as  would  induce  them 
to  present  copies  of  their  publications  to  our  insti- 
tution; but  of  this  you  are  the  better  judge.  I 
send  you,  inclosed  with  this,  ten  copies  of  our 
prospectus,  that  you  may  distribute  them  in  a  man- 


230  MEMORIALS   OP 

ner  most  likely  to  promote  the  great  objects  of  our 
institution.  In  my  last,  I  suggested  to  you  the 
expediency  of  selecting  some  bookseller  in  London 
who  would  undertake  to  supply  us  with  every 
thing  we  wanted,  and  who  would  be  responsible 
for  the  punctual  and  early  transmission  of  all  our 
newspapers  arid  literary  publications.  This  is  a 
very  great  object,  and  the  prosperity  and  advance- 
ment of  the  institution  depend  very  much  on  the 
success  of  our  exertions  in  this  particular.  I  would 
further  suggest,  whether  it  would  not  be  possible  to 
make  some  arrangements  with  the  Athenseum  and 
Lyceum  in  Liverpool,  that  would  operate  bene- 
ficially to  our  establishment.  The  librarians  of 
those  institutions  might  possibly  be  induced  to  send 
us  some  of  the  numerous  publications  which  they 
receive.  I  have  frequently  seen,  in  this  town,  at 
our  printing  offices,  English  newspapers,  with  the 
name  of  'Athenaeum'  stamped  upon  them,  and 
which,  I  have  understood,  came  from  that  institu- 
tion. These  institutions  must  receive  a  number  of 
newspapers,  magazines,  &tc.  &LC.,  and  often  dupli- 
cates, which  they  do  not  care  to  preserve,  and 
would  be  willing  to  send  to  us  at  a  very  low  price ; 
also  political  pamphlets. 

"  I  think  you  might  also  advance  the  interests  of 
our  establishment  by  conversing  with  the  Ameri- 
cans, particularly  the  Bostonians,  in  England,  on 
the  utility  and  the  pleasure  which  will  probably  be 
afforded  by  an  institution  on  our  plan.  In  my  exer- 
tions here,  I  have  generally  succeeded  beyond  my 
most  sanguine  expectations  in  obtaining  subscrip- 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  231 

tions,  and  donations  in  books  as  well  as  money. 
The  plan  is  a  very  popular  one,  and  almost  every 
one  is  desirous  of  doing  something  to  promote  its 
objects.  If  you  choose  to  exercise  the  influence 
which  I  know  you  must  possess  over  your  American 
acquaintances  in  England, — and  I  think  it  is  your 
duty  to  do  it,— I  have  no  doubt  but  that  you  might 
obtain  some  very  valuable  donations  to  the  library. 
I  should  advise  you  to  give  one  of  our  pamphlets 
to  every  generous  American,  with  some  observation 
which  may  induce  him  to  make  some  exertion  to 
promote  the  interests  of  the  establishment. 

"  There  are  many  Englishmen,  such  as  Sir  John 
Sinclair,  &LC.,  who  are  pleased  to  take  a  very  lively 
interest  in  every  thing  relating  to  American  affairs, 
and  who,  I  have  no  doubt,  would  be  very  much 
delighted  in  promoting  the  objects  of  our  establish- 
ment. These  gentlemen  might  be  very  useful  in 
influencing  the  learned  societies  to  make  donations 
of  their  publications.  I  should  also  think  it  very 
proper  to  establish  a  correspondence  with  some 
learned  men  in  England,  to  whom  we  might  be 
permitted  to  write  in  behalf  of  the  institution,  and 
who  might  be  the  means  of  our  procuring  rare, 
valuable  works,  out  of  print,  which  we  could  not 
otherwise  obtain.  Mr.  Benjamin  Vanghan,  here, 
has  recommended  us  to  his  brother  William,  and 
has  promised  to  give  us  letters  to  him.  In  my  for- 
mer letter,  I  requested  you  to  procure  some  books 
of  reputation  for  the  merchants.  In  addition,  I 
would  suggest  to  you  the  propriety  of  purchasing 
Oddy's  l  European  Commerce,'  reviewed  in  the 


232  MEMORIALS  OF 

Monthly  Review  for  August  last.  I  send  you,  with 
this,  a  second  bill  of  exchange,  drawn  upon  Samuel 
Williams,  Esq.,  for  six  hundred  dollars  ;  five  hun- 
dred to  be  laid  out  in  books  for  the  reading-room, 
as  I  wrote  in  my  former  letter,  and  one  hundred 

on  my  own  account 

"  The  gentlemen  of  the  Anthology  Society  desire 
to  be  particularly  remembered  to  you  and  our  friend 
Thacher.  We  meet  now  in  Congress  street,  under 
the  same  roof  with  the  reading-room ;  and  Cooper, 
who  is  to  keep  the  library,  provides  for  us.  Our 
subscribers  gradually  increase,  and  the  publication 
seems  to  be  rising  in  reputation.  The  booksellers 
and  printers  begin  to  think  us  of  some  consequence, 
and  send  us  most  of  their  publications.  We  fre- 
quently, and  with  much  sincerity,  wish  our  good 
friends  in  Europe  pleasure  and  improvement  from 
their  travels.  We  often  regret  we  have  not  been 
favored  with  some  communications  for  the  Anthol- 
ogy, but  anticipate  with  pleasure  the  time  when 
they  will  come  en  masse.  Mr.  Thacher  must  not 
fail  to  fulfil  his  promise,  and  we  expect  a  whole 
budget  in  the  spring.  Phillips,  in  London,  has  sent 
us  an  answer  to  the  letter  which  we  wrote  to  him 
last  spring,  thanking  us  for  the  numbers  of  the 
Anthology  which  we  sent  him,  speaking  in  a  very 
flattering  manner  of  the  publication,  and  saying 
that  he  should  be  very  happy  to  interchange  with 
us ;  but  he  has  as  yet  sent  us  none  of  his  numbers. 
If  it  is  not  too  much  trouble,  I  wish  either  you  or 
Thacher  would  call  upon  him,  and  converse  with 
him  on  the  subject.  I  should  think  it  would  be 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  233 

worth  while  to  make  the  same  attempt  of  an  inter- 
change with  other  periodical  publications  in  Lon- 
don. I  also  wish  that  one  of  you  would  cause  the 
plan  of  our  institution  to  be  published  in  the 
Monthly  Magazine,  and  perhaps  some  other  publi- 
cations, with  such  observations  as  you  may  think 
proper.  Professors  M'Kean  and  Willard  are  on 
nomination  for  members  of  our  Society.  You  have 
already  heard  of  Dr.  Kirkland's  being  a  member; 
we  find  him  very  pleasant  as  a  sociable  man.  We 
have  now  completed  our  third  volume,  and  we 
flatter  ourselves  that  the  last  is  very  much  the  best. 
We  commence  the  new  year  with  a  firm  determin- 
ation to  persevere  ;  and  we  flatter  ourselves  that, 
with  our  own  exertions,  and  with  such  foreign  aid 
as  we  may  procure,  we  shall  be  able  to  make  the 
publication  still  more  valuable." 

Dec.  27.  Miss  Hannah  Adams  writes  and  thanks 
Mr.  Shaw  for  his  suggestions  relative  to  the  ques- 
tion between  her  and  Dr.  Morse  about  their  Histo- 
ries of  New  England.  After  requesting  his  assist- 
ance in  several  particulars,  she  closes,  "  I  have 
already  been  so  much  indebted  to  your  kindness,, 
that  I  will  not  apologize  for  the  trouble  I  give 
you." 


21 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Regulations  —  Meteors  —  Memento  of  Friendship  —  Condolence — 
Burr's  Conspiracy — Webster's  Dictionary—  Griesbach— Political 
Suspicion — Fouche — Catholics  of  Italy — Encouraging  Prospect  of 
the  Athenaeum— Burr's  Trial— Currency— Criticism— Decrees- 
Division  of  the  Union — Factions. 

1807,  January  1.  As  secretary  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Anthology  Reading-Room  and  Library,  Mr. 
Shaw  issues  their  printed  rules,  with  a  list  of  period- 
ical publications  which  had  been  ordered.  The  pre- 
face of  the  document  states,  that  they  had  obtained 
more  than  160  subscribers;  had  over  1,000  volumes 
of  valuable  works  in  the  Institution,  which  were  in 
Joy's  Buildings  in  Congress  street,  until  they  could 
get  better  accommodations.  He  says,  that  their 
design  is  to  make  such  a  collection  the  basis  of  an 
establishment  in  Boston,  "similar  to  the  Athenaeum 
and  Lyceum  of  Liverpool  in  Great  Britain."  The 
circular  closes  by  inviting  gentlemen  disposed  to 
become  subscribers,  to  leave  notice  thereof  at  the 
reading-room,  or  at  Mr.  Shaw's  office  in  Scollay's 
Buildings.  Here  was  the  hopeful  germ  of  the 
Boston  Athenasum,  for  whose  interests  Mr.  Shaw 
tasked  his  energies  and  liberally  spent  his  time  and 
money.  With  respect  to  this  fact,  his  biographer, 
the  Hon.  Josiah  Q,uincy,  makes  the  subsequent  ob- 
servation. "He  was  also  the  first  to  suggest,  and 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  235 

was  principally  active  in  the  making  that  library 
public,  and  connecting  it  with  a  public  reading- 
room,  which  was  the  direct  and  earliest  efficient 
step  towards  the  establishment  of  the  Boston 
Athenaeum." 

Jan.  2.  Benjamin  Silliman  at  Yale  College  writes 
respecting  the  residuums  of  two  meteors.  "I  send 
you  by  this  mail  a  sheet,  which  I  presume  will  not 
be  unacceptable  to  you.  I  will  send  you,  when 
we  get  it  ready,  a  revised  account  for  your  Anthol- 
ogy, and  a  specimen  of  the  stone  by  the  first  proper 
conveyance.  The  account  which  is  now  transmit- 
ted was  drawn  up  in  some  haste,  and  it  is  very  pos- 
sible that  new  facts  may  come  to  light.  Since  we 
wrote,  another  stone,  which  was  heard  to  fall  on 
Tathoway  Hill,  and  for  which  we  searched  in  vain, 
has  been  discovered  and  weighs  thirty-six  and  a  half 
pounds.  We  have  a  fair  prospect  of  obtaining  it 
for  our  cabinet." 

The  substance  of  this  meteoric  body  was  found 
to  be  iron.  It  being  supposed  to  be  the  first  speci- 
men of  the  kind  discovered  and  examined  in  the 
United  States,  it  excited  the  attention  of  scientific 
men  as  an  extraordinary  event  for  our  country. 

Jan.  14.  The  subsequent  lines  are  a  touching 
expression  of  friendship.  "The  brothers  of  your 
deceased  friend,  A.  M.  Walter,  ask  your  acceptance 
of  his  gold  watch  as  a  mark  of  his  esteem  and  as  a 
continual  proof  of  the  friendship  which  subsisted 
between  you.  They  also  carry  into  effect  his  wish 
of  October  4,  1802,  as  expressed  in  his  letter  on 
going  to  Europe,  thus :  *  If  the  Supreme  Being 


236  MEMORIALS   OF 

should  take  me  from  among  the  children  of  men,  I 
request  that  my  Tully  should  be  presented  to  Wil- 
liam S.  Shaw,  for  I  love  him.'  You,  therefore, 
have  this  also,  with  their  united  wishes  for  your 
future  welfare." 

Feb.  5.  From  John  Q,.  Adams  in  Washington. 
"  I  received  some  days  since  your  favor  of  the  19th 
January,  and  thank  you  for  the  information  it  con- 
tains, and  for  the  trouble  you  have  taken  in  my 
individual  concerns.  I  should  have  been  happy  to 
hear  frequently  from  you,  but  I  have  been  sensible 
that  the  multiplicity  of  your  usual  occupations  and 
the  extraordinary  call  upon  your  time  and  attention 
by  the  illness  and  decease  of  your  excellent  and  la- 
mented friend  Walter,  were  amply  sufficient  to  jus- 
tify your  silence.  I  have  continued  to  enclose  to 
you  all  the  public  documents  ;  though  having  also 
sent  a  copy  of  them  to  my  father,  I  may  sometimes 
have  sent  a  double  set  to  him  and  none  to  you. 
This  may  be  easily  rectified  by  yourself,  on  exam- 
ining the  papers  received  at  Q,uincy."  He  remarks, 
that  he  concludes  to  resume  his  residence  in  Boston, 
which  began  in  1790.  "  I  have  observed  by  the 
Boston  papers  that  the  reading-room  has  been  opened, 
and  I  hope  that  the  subscribers,  and  you  who  have 
taken  so  much  interest  in  the  establishment,  have 
found  it  as  useful  and  satisfactory  as  you  have  an- 
ticipated. 

"Mr.  Burr  and  his  conspiracy  have  made  so 
much  noise,  and  filled  all  the  newspapers  through- 
out the  Union  to  such  an  extent,  that  I  imagine  I 
can  tell  you  nothing  new  concerning  it.  His  ac- 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  237 

complices.  Bollman  and  Swartwont,  are  imprisoned 
here  upon  a  charge  of  treason.  But  it  appears  that 
they  cannot  be  tried  here,  and  there  is  a  great  doubt 
whether  they  can  be  convicted  of  treason  anywhere. 

"  There  is  an  application  before  Congress  from 
the  corporation  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Delaware 
canal  company,  requesting  that  a  quantity  of  the 
public  lands  (about  two  hundred  thousand  acres)  be 
appropriated  to  purchase  shares  for  the  public  in  that 
company.  Mr.  Bayard  has  just  closed  an  eloquent 
speech  in  favor  of  the  measure.  Mr.  Giles  has  just 
risen  in  answer  to  him.  I  doubt  whether  the  meas- 
ure will  or  ought  to  pass.  The  supreme  court  are 
in  session.  We  have  passed  a  bill  in  Senate  to  add 
a  seventh  circuit,  consisting  of  the  three  Western 
States,  to  the  courts  of  the  United  States,  and  for 
the  appointment  of  an  additional  judge  of  the 
supreme  court.  It  is  now  before  the  House  of 
Representatives." 

Feb.  10.  Prom  Josiah  Q-uiricy  in  Congress.  "I 
condole  with  you,  my  friend,  in  your  loss.  It  is  a 
public  one.  Such  men  as  your  Walter1  was,  are 
rare  at  any  period  of  society  and  in  any  country. 
His  morals,  his  learning,  his  good  heart  and  sound 
head,  are  assemblages  seldom  made  by  nature  ;  and 
less  common  is  it  to  find  them  progressing  by  such 
temperate  and  regular  course  toward  maturity  at 
such  an  early  age  as  we  witnessed  in  him.  I  know 
not  whether  these  reflections  will  offer  any  consola- 
tion to  your  mind.  But  the  qualities  of  our  friends 

1  Arthur  Maynard  Walter  died  in  Boston,  January  2d,  1807,  in 
his  26th  year. 

21* 


238  MEMORIALS  OF 

are  precious  sources  of  delight,  although  they 
quicken  our  sense  of  bereavement." 

Feb.  14.  From  the  Rev.  J.  S.  J.  Gardiner.  "  I 
return  you  Mr.  Sargent's1  manuscript  with  many 
thanks.  I  have  received  much  pleasure  from  its 
perusal,  and  am  happy  to  find  a  young  man  of 
genius  turning  his  attention  to  ancient  literature. 
The  versification  is  remarkably  smooth  and  pleas- 
ing." The  Latin  poetry,  here  referred  to,  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Monthly  Anthology  of  March,  1807. 

Feb.  16.  By  a  letter  with  regard  to  Mr.  Shaw's 
requesting  John  Lowell  to  furnish  another  of  his 
"  Letters  from  Europe  "  for  the  Monthly  Anthology, 
it  appears  that  the  latter  gentleman  was  the  author 
of  these  intelligent  and  interesting  communications. 

Feb.  22.  From  J.  S.  Buckminster  in  London. 
"  O,  my  dear  friend.  My  heart  is  full  of  anguish. 
Walter  dead  !  When  I  left  you  all  to  come  to 
Europe,  the  parting  was  painful  in  the  extreme,  but 
continually  relieved  by  the  belief,  that  I  should  see 
you  all  again.  I  suspect  the  last  letter  he  ever 
wrote  was  addressed  to  me.  Alas  !  I  cannot  read  it 
without  tears.  My  dear  Shaw,  I  wish  I  was  with 
you,  to  give  vent  to  my  sorrow.  I  look  to  the 
great  promises  and  expectations  which  the  gospel 
holds  out."  The  letter  proceeds  to  an  account  of 
books,  which  Mr.  Buckminster  purchased  abroad 
for  the  Boston  Athena3um. 

Feb.  25.  In  a  circular  to  Mr.  Shaw,  relative  to 
his  purpose  of  publishing  his  great  Dictionary, 
Noah  Webster  describes  the  occasion  of  such  an 

1  Lucius  M.  Sargent. 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  239 

undertaking.  "  When  I  first  contemplated  the  pub- 
lication of  an  English  Dictionary,  my  design  was 
chiefly  limited  to  the  correction  of  a  few  palpable 
errors  in  orthography  and  definition,  and  the  inser- 
tion of  a  great  number  of  legitimate  words  and  sig- 
nifications, not  found  in  any  British  work  of  the 
kind.  Being  led  gradually  and  almost  insensibly, 
to  investigate  the  origin  of  our  own  language,  I  was 
surprised  to  discover  that  this  field  of  inquiry  had 
never  been  explored  with  due  attention  and  suc- 
cess." This  discovery  led  him  to  do  what  he  could 
to  supply  such  a  deficiency.  On  such  an  enterprise 
he  had  been  sedulously  employed  eight  or  ten  years. 
But  the  expense  of  books  and  a  numerous  family, 
exceeding  his  income,  he  has  been  induced  to  ask 
for  assistance  in  the  prosecution  of  his  Dictionary 
to  a  completion, — either  by  encouraging  the  sale  of 
his  school  books  or  by  pecuniary  contributions. 
However  that  was  a  dark  season  for  the  American 
lexicographer,  he  was  sustained  in  his  trials  and 
enabled  to  finish  the  volumes,  which  will  ever  re- 
flect honor  on  his  genius,  learning,  fortitude,  indus- 
try and  philanthropy,  as  well  as  on  the  country  of 
his  birth  and  education. 

March  10.  "In  giving  a  list  of  volumes  which 
he  had  bought  on  account  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum, 
Mr.  Buckminster,  in  London,  makes  the  following 
remarks.  "Tell  my  theological  friends  that  the 
second  volume  of  Griesbach  has  appeared,  and  I 
have  taken  care  that  the  Duke  of  Grafton  be  re- 
minded, that  he  had  the  goodness  to  present  a  large 
paper  copy  of  the  first  volume  to  the  University  at 


240  MEMORIALS  OF 

Cambridge.  I  hope  they  will  receive  the  second  in 
the  course  of  the  summer.  I  shall  have  a  notice  of 
your  institution  inserted  in  the  Athenaeum,  but  it 
will  not  excite  any  interest,  reading-rooms  and  pub- 
lic libraries  being  so  common  in  every  part  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland." 

March  25.  Partaking  largely  of  the  zeal,  which 
a  great  portion  of  the  federal  party  manifested  at 
this  period,  Mr.  Shaw  was  actively  engaged  for  the 
promotion  of  their  purpose.  As  the  secretary  of 
the  central  committee,  he  came  into  possession  of 
various  papers,  which  show  the  efforts  then  made 
to  break  down  the  power  of  the  democrats,  whom 
their  political  opponents  dreaded  as  entertaining 
designs  for  the  subversion  of  our  national  liberties. 
A  similar  suspicion  was  also  entertained  by  the 
former  as  well  as  by  the  latter  party.  Ever  since,  a 
like  suspicion  has  been  entertained 'of  each  other, 
by  the  principal  political  parties  of  our  country, 
though  gradually  diminished  as  they  have  success- 
ively come  into  power  and  have  shown  themselves 
indisposed  to  destroy  (he  constitution,  though 
occasionally  charged  with  violating  some  of  its 
implied  principles. 

March  26.  From  Samuel  C.  Thacher  in  London. 
He  speaks  of  his  promise  to  write  on  the  literature 
of  France  :  "  I  rejoice  once  more  to  breathe  the  air 
of  a  country,  in  which  my  thoughts  are  no  longer 
in  chains,  and  I  can  write  without  fear  that  my  let- 
ter may  be  first  submitted  to  the  criticism  of  Fouche, 
a  merciless  censor.  You  must  content  yourself, 
however,  with  only  a  few  rambling  and  hasty 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  241 

observations,  and  I  shall  claim  the  privileges  of  a 
letter-writer  and  traveler  as  an  apology  for  errors  or 
negligence."  Then  follow  his  interesting  remarks 
on  the  subject,  which  were  printed  in  the  Anthology. 

April  3.  From  J.  S.  Buckminster  in  London. 
After  giving  an  account  of  books  he  had  purchased 
for  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  he  observes  :  "  We  must, 
at  least  for  some  time,  think  of  popularity  ;  and  I 
know  of  no  method  so  likely  to  procure  it,  as  to 
keep  our  rooms  furnished  with  abundance  of  maga- 
zines, pamphlets  and  new  books.  This  I  am  satis- 
fied should  be,  at  present,  our  primary  object, — and 
our  second,  to  lay  slowly  and  secretly  the  founda- 
tion of  a  permanent  library  of  books,  difficult  to  be 
procured  in  America." 

April  7.  The  Corporation  of  the  Boston  Athe- 
naeum, having  been  so  constituted  by  an  act  of  the 
Legislature,  the  preceding  February  13,  hold  their 
first  session  at  the  office  of  Mr.  Shaw.  Here  a 
committee  are  chosen  to  prepare  "a  memoir  in  be- 
half" of  the  Institution.  This  able  document  was 
written  by  John  T.  Kirklaod,  and  accepted  the  21st 
of  the  same  month.  The  author  of  this  document, 
John  Lowell  and  Mr.  Shaw  were  appointed  to  cir- 
culate it  and  obtain  subscriptions.  On  the  8th  of 
May,  they  signed  a  letter  to  accompany  it  wherever 
left  or  sent.  The  memoir  was  signed  by  Theophi- 
lus  Parsons  as  president,  and  Mr.  Shaw  as  secre- 
tary. As  usual,  the  latter  was  active  and  successful 
in  obtaining  subscribers. 

May  4.  As  one  of  the  letters  from  Europe,  on 
Italy,  and  published  in  the  Anthology,  described 


242  MEMORIALS   OF 

the  corruptions  of  the  Catholics  there,  in  dark  lines, 
it  appears  to  have  occasioned  the  passing  of  expla- 
nations between  the  author,  Mr.  Shaw  and  Bishop 
Cheverus.  A  letter  from  the  last  follows. 

"  No  man  is  more  averse  to  controversy  than  I 
am  myself,  and  I  would  really  be  sorry  to  find  in 
your  monthly  publication  nothing  but  a  bunch  of 
controversial  thorns  and  nettles,  instead  of  a  fragrant 
nosegay  of  literary  flowers,  which  the  title  promises 
and  the  contents  generally  afford.  I  think,  how- 
ever, I  must  say  a  few  words  about  your  note,  but 
I  do  not  request  you  should  publish  them.  They 
are  only  addressed  to  you  and  to  the  American 
traveler,  at  whose  request  you  published  the  reflec- 
tions contained  in  your  note. 

"  To  know  the  doctrine  of  our  church,  the  books 
which  she  approves  must  be  quoted.  I  know  that 
the  British  Encyclopaedia  and  many  other  works 
pass  condemnation  against  us.  But  I  appeal  from 
their  judgment  to  your  own  candor,  if  you  will  but 
examine  my  witnesses.  Two  of  them  I  take  the 
liberty  to  send.  Examine  and  cross-examine  them, 
if  you  have  leisure  and  patience. 

"  I  did  not  boast  of  our  moderation  here ;  this 
certainly  would  be  ridiculous.  I  acknowledged 
with  gratitude  the  liberality  we  have  experienced 
in  Boston.  I  spoke  of  Maryland,  where  certainly 
Lord  Baltimore  and  his  Roman  Catholic  friends  had 
the  authority  in  their  hands. 

"  I  sincerely  believe  whatever  our  church  has  de- 
cided as  an  article  of  faith;  how  far  this  extends, 
Bossuet's  exposition  will  inform  you.  As  a  Catholic, 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  243 

I  am  not  obliged  either  to  believe  or  to  defend  any 
thing  farther. 

"  I  beg  of  you,  sir,  and  of  the  American  traveler, 
to  receive  my  thanks  for  the  very  polite,  though  in 
regard  to  myself,  very  undeserved,  manner  in  which 
you  speak  of  my  venerable  colleague  and  myself." 

May  5.  Mr.  Shaw  having  made  collections  to 
defray  charges  of  Joseph  S.  Buckminster,  while  in 
Europe  for  his  health,  accompanied  by  Samuel  C. 
Thacher,  pays  them  over  to  Theodore  Lyman. 

May  13.  William  S.  Shaw  to  J.  S.  Buckminster. 
"  From  the  pamphlets  which  I  send  to  you  with 
this,  of  which  you  have  several  for  distribution  as 
you  think  proper,  you  will  see  that  the  trustees  of 
the  Anthology  Read  ing-Room  and  Library  have 
obtained  an  act  of  incorporation  by  the  name  of  *  The 
Proprietors  of  the  Boston  Athenseum.'  I  doubt  very 
much  whether  there  ever  has  been  an  institution  in 
this  country,  which  has  made  such  rapid  advances 
as  ours ;  and  I  can  now  congratulate  you  on  the 
prospect  of  having  a  library  in  this  town, — which 
you  always  seemed  to  believe  was  only  a  delusion 
of  my  idle  brain, — on  a  liberal  plan,  highly  honor- 
able to  the  munificence  of  our  citizens,  and  which 
will  assist  and  facilitate  the  researches  of  the  learned 
and  gratify  the  curiosity  of  strangers.  This,  with 
me,  I  can  assure  you,  is  no  ordinary  subject  of  con- 
gratulation. Depend  upon  it,  that  the  establishment 
of  the  Athenseum,  the  rooms  of  which  are  to  be 
always  accessible  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  is  one  of 
the  greatest  strides  toward  intellectual  advancement 
that  this  country  has  ever  witnessed.  We  have 


244  MEMORIALS   OF 

every  reason  to  believe  that  the  hundred  and  fifty 
shares  will  be  taken  up,  which,  at  three  hundred 
dollars  a  share,  will  give  us  forty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars. We  already  have  fifty  shares  subscribed  for, 
and  there  are  about  thirty  gentlemen  beside,  who 
have  promised  to  subscribe.  We  shall  not  trouble 
ourselves  for  life-subscribers  till  the  permanent 
shares  are  taken  up,  which  I  undertake  to  say  will 
be  the  case  in  the  course  of  three  weeks,  at  least, 
and  perhaps  in  less  time. 

"  You  did  very  right  to  send  us  the  Oxford  Re- 
view, though  I  do  not  think  much  of  the  numbers 
I  have  read.  As  our  funds  are  very  much  in- 
creased, we  can  now  afford  to  take  all  the  English 
literary  magazines  of  any  eminence,  and  you  are  at 
liberty  to  add  any  to  the  list  you  please.  What 
merit  has  the  Panorama,  a  new  publication  I  see 
advertised?  We  are  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  ar- 
rangements made  in  London  with  Jenner,  for  the 
periodical  publications.  They  come  out  as  regularly 
as  we  could  expect  to  receive  them  from  London  ; 
but  we  wish  that  there  might  be  some  arrangement 
in  Liverpool,  so  that  no  vessel  should  sail  for  Boston 
without  some  papers  for  us.  Could  you  not  make 
some  agreement  with  the  Athenasurn,  Lyceum,  or 
Union  Society,  to  send  out  some  papers,  different 
from  those  we  already  have,  at  half-price?  You 
must  not  send  us  out  any  books  on  credit.  Re- 
member me,  with  all  possible  affection,  to  dear 
Thacher." 

May  25.  Prom  John  Tabb,  in  Norfolk,  Va. 
"  That  I  should  not  have  sent  you  before  this,  the 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  245 

pamphlet  written  by  Mr.  Evans,  under  the  signature 
of  Tacitus,  has  proceeded  from  my  particular  situa- 
tion since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  last  sum- 
mer in  Boston,  and  not  from  any  forgetfulness  of 
you.  I  have  been  much  tried  at  the  termination  of 
your  Northern  elections  in  general,  especially  in 
New  York,  where  men  of  the  greatest  talents  and 
character  have  been  outvoted." 

June  6.  From  J.  S.  Buckminster  in  London. 
"  I  cannot  forbear  my  advice  about  your  proposed 
edifice.  Do  not  build  any  unless  you  can  raise 
money  enough  to  erect  an  elegant,  classical  build- 
ing, entirely  of  stone,  or  with  a  stone  facade,  which 
shall  reflect  lasting  credit  on  the  taste  and  munifi- 
cence of  the  founders.  Before  you  build,  I  hope 
you  will  obtain  from  England  and  the  continent, 
drawings,  plans  and  views  of  several  structures  of 
the  kind  proposed.  Loammi  Baldwin,  who  I  under- 
stand has  just  arrived,  would  send  from  Paris,  if  not 
from  London,  plans  worthy  of  your  attention.  I 
will  venture  to  speak  to  him  upon  the  subject." 
He  regretted  that  Webster's  Dictionary,  and  Mar- 
shall's Life  of  Washington,  had  not  been  reviewed 
in  the  Anthology.  He  suggested  that  an  invitation 
be  extended  to  Mr.  Holmes,  the  American  Annalist, 
to  review  the  latter  work. 

June  16.  J.  Tabb  of  Norfolk  closes  another  letter 
with  the  passage,  "  Burr's  trial  affords  us  much 
conversation  in  Virginia.  The  arrival  of  General 
Wilkinson,  a  few  days  since,  is  expected  to  afford 
the  prosecutors  of  the  former,  sufficient  evidence  to 
22 


246  MEMORIALS   OF 

convict  him  of  treason.  But  I  do  not  think  so 
myself." 

June  17.  J.  S.  Buckminster  writes  from  Liver- 
pool, that  on  his  visit  to  Scotland  he  found  that  the 
Panoplist,  published  in  Boston,  "  was  well  known 
to  all  the  Kirk  "  of  that  kingdom. 

June  18.  The  committee  for  circulating  the  Me- 
moir for  the  Athenaeum,  report  to  the  directors  at 
the  office  of  Mr.  Shaw,  that  they  had  obtained  one 
hundred  and  fifty  subscribers  at  $300  each,  making 
a  total  of  $ 45,000,  the  amount  purposed  to  be  raised. 

July  17.  The  proprietors  of  the  Athenaeum,  con- 
vened at  the  hall  of  the  Massachusetts  Bank,  vote 
to  expend  $25,000  of  their  funds  in  the  purchase  of 
land  and  the  erection  of  a  building.  In  this  ad- 
vance, Mr.  Shaw  was  much  gratified.  But  a  change 
in  public  affairs  brought  him  equal  disappointment, 
though  not  unduly  disheartened.  The  next  August 
22,  the  trustees,  in  view  of  national  difficulties, 
vote  that  it  is  inexpedient  to  increase  the  number 
of  proprietors,  and  October  2,  that  the  purpose  for 
building  be  suspended. 

August  4.  A  letter  from  S.  Blodgett  in  Wash- 
ington to  a  friend  of  Mr.  Shaw,  with  whom  it  was 
left  for  a  particular  object,  affords  a  few  noticeable 
facts.  It  speaks  of  Mr.  Tracy,  member  of  Con- 
gress, as  having  died,  and  being  the  first  of  that  body 
who  had  been  buried  there.  It  mentions,  that  con- 
tributions are  being  made  to  have  a  monument 
placed  over  his  remains.  It  refers  to  the  executive 
officers  of  the  general  government  as  having  given 
much  attention,  since  "  the  affair  of  the  Chesapeake," 


WILLIAM   SMITH    SHAW.  247 

to  Fulton's  torpedos,  for  blowing  up  the  British 
frigates  in  case  of  war. 

August.  From  James  Martin,  Jr.,  at  Chapel  Hill. 
A  reason  for  which  it  is  given,  is  to  show  the 
difficulty  of  sending  money  from  that  section  of 
our  country.  "  Inclosed  is  the  amount  of  the  An- 
thology for  the  present  year.  It  was  probably  ex- 
pected that  this  would  have  been  done  before  now, 
but  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  a  currency  that  would 
be  negotiable  in  Boston  has  been  the  cause.  Indeed 
the  present  is  transmitted  as  an  experiment.  The 
bills  you  will  perceive  are  on  the  private  bank  of 
Cape  Fear,  our  State  having  no  public  one." 

Oct.  9.  From  Lucas  George,  Professor  of  Greek 
and  Belles  Lettres  in  St.  Mary's  College.  "  Although 
unacquainted,  I  take  the  liberty  of  addressing  you. 
You  have,  in  a  former  number  of  your  useful  work, 
been  pleased  to  speak  of  me  in  terms  highly  grate- 
ful to  my  feelings.  I  allude  to  your  critique  on 
Davis's  American  Travels,  a  production  in  which  I 
appear  to  some  disadvantage.  I  have  been  traduced 
and  abused  in  the  Edinburgh  Review,  and  although 
I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  Travels  of  Mr.  Davis, 
yet  I  had  the  misfortune  of  being  blended  with  him 
in  their  uridiscriminating  censure.  You,  on  the 
contrary,  had  the  generosity  to  elucidate  my  char- 
acter in  a  more  candid  manner  ;  a  proof  at  once  of 
your  justice  and  of  your  honor;  honor,  which  is 
but  a  mere  phantom  with  many,  but  has  a  real 
existence  in  generous  minds." 

Oct.  17.  From  John  Q,.  Adams  in  New  York,  on 
his  way  to  Washington.  This  we  notice,  as  contain- 


248  MEMORIALS    OF 

ing  an  account  of  his  passage  in  a  packet  from  Provi- 
dence to  New  York  in  five  days.  It  was  pleasant 
weather,  but  accompanied  with  calm  and  head 
winds.  The  contrast  between  that  passage  and  one 
now  made  in  a  steamer,  is  great. 

Oct.  27.  An  extract  follows  from  a  letter  of  P. 
A.  Vanderkemp  at  Olden  Barneveld.  He  sent  other 
communications  of  learned  criticisms  for  the  An- 
thology. "  As  I  have  not,  for  a  long  while,  troubled 
your  repose  with  a  single  line,  I  hope  you  will 
make  my  apology  for  this  new  intrusion,  while  you 
contribute  so  often  to  spread  a  joyful  beam  on  the 
evening  of  my  solitary  days,  in  my  deep  retreat  in 
these  western  woods." 

Oct.  27.  From  D.  N.  Chapman  in  Philadelphia. 
"  A  week  or  two  ago,  I  directed  my  bookseller  to 
send  you  a  copy  of  the  Select  Speeches  for  the  An- 
thology Club.  The  remaining  volumes  are  now  in 
press.  They  will  contain  speeches  of  some  hon- 
esty, and  certainly  not  of  less  merit.  They  will 
embrace  the  whole  of  Burke's,  some  I  suspect  that 
are  unknown  in  this  country,  many  of  Lord  Chat- 
ham's and  his  cotemporaries,  and  a  very  large  num- 
ber of  Irish  eloquence.  Indeed  1  do  believe,  that  I 
shall  not  omit  any  one  speech  of  real  value.  There 
is,  however,  a  speech  of  the  younger  Littleton,  on 
the  Canada  bill,  which  has  hitherto  eluded  my 
search.  Dennie,  who  is  now  at  my  elbow,  tells  rne 
that  he  thinks  it  is  in  the  library  of  your  college. 
Will  you  do  me  the  favor  to  ascertain  the  fact  ? " 

Nov.  7.  From  John  Q,.  Adams  in  Washington. 
"  We  had  yesterday  one  of  the  severest  snow  storms 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  249 

that  I  ever  witnessed  at  this  place.  The  snow  fell 
from  nine  inches  to  a  foot  deep,  with  the  wind  all 
the  time  at  the  northwest.  It  begins  already  to  dis- 
appear ;  this  day  being  perfectly  clear.  Little  busi- 
ness has  yet  been  done,  but  we  have  several  impor- 
tant propositions  made.  Among  them  is  one  for  an 
amendment  to  the  constitution  to  make  judicial 
offices  tenable  for  a  term  of  years,  and  judges 
removable  by  address  of  the  two  Houses." 

Dec.  18.  From  the  same.  "  I  am  much  obliged 
to  you  for  your  attention  to  my  personal  affairs. 
Dr.  Bullus,  the  messenger  sent  in  the  Revenge,  ar- 
rived here  yesterday,  we  understand,  with  dispatches 
from  Mr.  Armstrong.  Their  substance  has  not  yet 
been  communicated  to  Congress  ;  but  the  rumor  is, 
that  it  contains  notification,  that  the  French  decree 
of  November,  1806,  will  henceforth  be  rigorously 
executed  against  us,  as  well  as  others.  We  learn 
that  the  English  have  issued  their  counterpart.  Be- 
tween the  two,  our  prospect  is  not  bright." 

Dec.  19.  From  R.  H.  Gardiner,  in  Gardiner,  Me. 
"  Your  friends  here  desire  me  to  tell  you,  that  they 
are  glad  the  Anthology  shines  so  much  of  late  in 
the  poetical  department.  I  have  nearly  completed 
a  review  of  Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire, 
which  I  shall  forward  by  the  first  private  opportu- 
nity. I  have  not  yet  heard  what  was  the  success 
of  Mr.  Ogilvie's  oration  on  the  Athenaeum,  nor  how 
your  institution  goes  on  in  its  new  building." 

Dec.  19.  From  E.  J.  Kendall  at  Northampton,  who 
was  on  his  travels  in  America,  which  he  afterwards 
had  published.     "  I  have  long  promised  myself  the 
22* 


250  MEMORIALS   OF 

pleasure  of  writing  to  you,  but  have  delayed  it,  in 
order  to  send  you  a  communication  for  the  Anthol- 
ogy, and  which  is  still  unprepared.  Allow  me  to 
beg,  that  I  may  hear  from  you  as  soon  as  may  be, 
by  a  letter  addressed  to  me  at  Burlington,  on  Lake 
Champlain,  Vermont.  Do  me  the  kindness  to  pre- 
sent my  respects  to  Col.  and  Mr.  Samuel  Welles, 
and  the  other  gentlemen  with  whom  I  had  the  grat- 
ification of  an  acquaintance  in  Boston.  You  have 
probably  heard,  that  I  have  forfeited  my  word  with 
you,  in  regard  to  the  Dighton  Rock.  Be  so  good 
as  to  mention  to  Judge  Davis,  that  I  did  myself  the 
honor  of  writing  to  him  by  the  post,  from  Maine." 

Dec.  23.  From  Rev.  Joshua  Spaulding  at  Eliza- 
bethtown,  N.  J.  "I  am  at  this  place  getting  a  pub- 
lication of  the  Divine  Theory.  On  my  way,  I 
called  at  your  office  in  order  to  obtain  a  certificate 
of  copy-right  ;  but  you  were  not  that  day  at  home. 
I  therefore  have  to  request  that  you  would  enter 
in  your  office,  the  enclosed  title-page  of  the  work, 
and  make  me  out  a  certificate,  and  enclose  it  to  me 
at  this  place,  by  the  mail.  I  will  call  upon  you  and 
pay  the  fee  when  I  return  home,  which  I  expect  to 
do  in  a  few  weeks.  The  work  is  nearly  completed, 
excepting  the  first  half-sheet,  in  which  the  certifi- 
cate must  be  inserted." 

1808,  January  1.  From  Thomas  Wiley,  New 
York.  "  We  have  printed  and  published  a  History 
of  Hugh  Peters,  written  by  Dr.  Peters."  He  hopes 
that  the  Anthology  will  give  it  a  favorable  notice. 

Jan.  25.  From  Wm.  H.  Sumner  in  Philadelphia 
on  a  journey.  "  We  are  in  a  strange  situation  here 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  251 

as  far  as  relates  to  politics.  The  mail  arrives  from 
Boston  in  the  morning,  and  the  whole  town  is  agi- 
tated by  some  facts  and  a  thousand  reports.  This 
agitation  is  soon  quieted  by  the  apprehension  that 
the  Southern  mail,  which  arrives  at  noon,  will 
bring  something  worse.  We  are,  as  it  respects 
political  information,  in  the  same  situation  that  the 
Pennsylvanians  think  they  shall  be  in,  in  case  of 
an  attempt  to  divide  the  Union, — the  seat  of  the 
war.  As  it  respects  the  proceedings  at  the  seat  of 
government,  however,  there  is  a  division  of  senti- 
ment. As  it  respects  those  at  the  Eastward,  there 
seems  to  be  no  division.  The  federalists  here  have 
adopted  the  democratic  sentiment,  that  it  is  the 
wish  of  the  Eastern  States  to  divide  the  Union,  and 
they  were  filled  with  dismay  and  apprehension 
when  the  Palladium  and  Repertory  arrived  shroud- 
ed in  black.  They  think  here — and  when  I  say 
they,  I  do  not  mean  every  and  any  sort  of  a  federal- 
ist who  may  be  included  by  that  comprehensive 
word — but  such  men  as  Charles  W.  Hare,  Mr.  Rawle, 
Bronson,  editor  of  the  Gazette  United  States,  and 
Jackson  of  the  Register,  who  are  not  suspected  here 
of  moderation  even,  as  well  as  all  the  merchants  I 
meet  with,  that  the  publications  in  the  newspapers 
at  the  Eastward,  the  resigning  of  the  collectors,  the 
sailing  of  ships  in  defiance  of  the  law,  and  the  reso- 
lutions passed  in  those  solemn  town  meetings,  which 
are  opened  with  a  prayer,  indicate  something  more 
than  a  wish  to  change  the  public  sentiment.  They 
say  they  do  not  care  how  far  the  opposition  is  car- 
ried, provided  the  federalists  will  come  out  with  an 


252  MEMORIALS   OF 

express  resolution  to  support  the  Union  of  the 
States,  and  they  think  there  would  be  a  favorable 
change  of  sentiment  in  Pennsylvania,  if  our  legis- 
lature should  pass  a  resolution  of  this  kind;  but 
now  the  universal  apprehension  of  a  dissolution  of 
the  Union  intimidates  their  hearts  and  paralyzes  all 
their  efforts.  They  want  to  gain  the  ascendency 
in  this  State  before  any  attempt  to  effect  this  is 
made,  so  that,  in  case  it  should  take  place,  they 
may  join  the  'Northern  Kingdom.'" 

Jan.  26.  From  the  same  writer.  "  Fine  sleighing 
here  to-day.  You  will  see  in  the  Monitor  a  garbled 
account  of  the  proceedings  in  Congress  on  Thursday 
and  Friday,  and  of  the  cool  and  determined  attack 
of  three  of  the  Royal  Cousins  to  fight  Mr.  Q,uincy 
down.  I  have  seen  a  gentleman  from  Washington 
who  was  there.  He  says  that  he  had  prejudices 
against  Mr.  Q,uincy  before  j  but  on  this  occasion  he 
behaved  nobly,  and  gained  in  the  opinion  of  all  in 
the  gallery,  a  complete  triumph.  Randolph  was 
there  and  ready  to  support  duincy,  but  it  was  not 
necessary.  Q,uincy  declared  he  would  not  fight 
them  as  they  wished,  but  he  advised  them  to  keep 
their  hands  off  of  him.  He  kept  himself  cool,  and 
in  his  last  speech  of  three  quarters  of  an  hour  ridi- 
culed all  their  attempts  to  put  him  down.  Lyon 
rose  to  call  them  to  order,  and  in  the  course  of  his 
remarks,  G.  W.  Campbell  said  to  him  '  Sir,  you 
have  no  spirit.'  Lyon  shook  his  fist  at  him  and 
said,  '  I  have  enough  for  yon,  sir.'  " 

March  25.  From  John  Q,.  Adams  in  Washing- 
ton. "  I  have  long  noticed  the  characters  of  the 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  253 

factions  which  were  excited  among  all  the  ancient 
nations  in  their  relations  with  the  Romans.  It  has 
been  particularly  remarked  by  Montesquieu,  and  its 
application  to  our  own  affairs  is  no  new  thing  in 
my  mind.  Modern  history  is  full  of  the  same 
phenomenon.  The  English  and  French  factions  in 
Holland,  were  among  the  earliest  occasions  for  my 
observations  on  living  men.  The  hats  and  the  caps 
of  Sweden  mark  the  same  factions  in  human  char- 
acter. But  there,  as  well  as  in  Holland,  the  spirit 
of  faction  was  envenomed  by  the  distribution  of 
money  by  both  parties  among  the  principal  leaders. 
I  hope  nothing  of  this  sort  has  occurred  or  will 
occur  with  us.  We  are  at  the  fourth  day  of  read- 
ing dispatches,  with  a  message  from  the  President 
containing  all  the  documents  of  negotiation  with 
France  and  with  England  for  several  years.  Mr.  Ross 
is  gone  ;  but  Mr.  Erskine  remains  here, and  Mr.  Pinck- 
ney  has  lately  been  re-appointed  to  England." 

March  29.  From  Mr.  Vanderkemp  at  Trenton, 
N.  Y.  He  gave  an  account  of  a  Society  in  which 
he  was  concerned,  for  promoting  Scriptural  knowl- 
edge. He  stated,  that  they  had  offered  premiums 
for  the  best  dissertations  on  several  subjects.  One 
of  these  was,  "  What  are  the  principal  causes  of  the 
increasing  fanaticism,  enthusiasm  and  infidelity 
within  the  Middle  and  Eastern  States."  Mr.  Van- 
derkemp remarked  on  the  recent  maratime  decree 
of  Judge  Davis,  and  forwarded  some  extracts  from 
a  Dutch  ordinance  for  his  consideration. 

March  31.  From  John  Q,.  Adams.  Speaking 
of  a  letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Otis,  Mr.  Adams  thus 


254  MEMORIALS   OF 

expresses  himself:  "I  will  thank  you  to  give  the 
enclosed  manuscript  to  Oliver  &  Munroe,  to  be  pub- 
lished immediately.  If  they  do  not  choose  to  print 
it  you  may  get  any  other  printer  to  do  it  when  you 
please.  It  is  not  meant  for  electioneering,  but  for 
self-defence ;  and  to  give  the  public  my  views  of 
public  affairs.  The  printers  will  give  perhaps  a 
few  copies  for  the  manuscript.  I  want  only  half  a 
dozen.  One  of  which  I  will  thank  you  to  present 
in  my  name  to  Mr.  H.  G.  Otis,  one  to  Governor 
Sullivan,  and  one  to  my  father.  The  three  others 
I  will  thank  you  to  send  to  me  as  soon  as  possible, 
that  they  may  reach  this  place  before  the  adjourn- 
ment of  Congress.  When  I  say  that  you  may  give 
it  to  the  printers,  I  ought  to  add,  that  there  must  be 
no  copy-right,  and  above  all  no  puffing  preface." 

April  9.  Prom  Miss  Hannah  Adams  at  Dedham. 
"  I  hope  you  have  received  my  Summary  History 
of  New  England,  and  Truth  and  Excellence  of  the 
Christian  Religion,  which  I  sent  for  the  Athenaeum. 
When  I  come  to  Boston  I  intend  to  procure  one  of 
my  Views  of  Religions  and  my  Abridgments  for 
the  same  purpose.  I  hope  before  this  time  you 
have  been  reimbursed  for  the  money  you  advanced 
towards  printing  my  Abridgment.  I  find  by  the 
Evangelical  Magazine,  my  Abridgment  has  been 
printed  in  England.  I  have  made  considerable 
progress  in  my  History  of  the  Jews  this  winter, 
but  at  present  am  much  out  of  health.  If  you 
would  have  the  goodness  to  favor  me  with  a  line, 
you  will  add  to  the  many  favors  you  have  con- 
ferred upon  me." 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Episcopacy  —  Liverpool  Athenaeum  — *  Pomare,  King  of  Otaheiti  — - 
Embargo — French  in  Spain — Canandaigua — Toasts — Talleyrand's 
Memoir — Law  Books — French  and  Italian  Volumes— Reading- 
Room  in  New  York — Spirit  of  '76 — History  of  Printing — Ken- 
dall's Travels  —  Redwood  Library  —  Constitution  of  the  United 
States— Midnight  Study. 

April  20.  From  Charles  King  in  New  York. 
Having  agreed  to  give  a  description  of  the  Harrow 
school,  he  promises  that  it  shall  be  done  after  he 
has  heard  from  his  former  tutor  in  that  institution. 
"  Mr.  Otis  and  party  arrived  here  on  Friday  last, 
and  have  rendered  our  city  very  gay,  though  we 
have  to  regret,  that  the  shortness  of  their  intended 
residence  among  us,  will  only  tend  to  illumine  with- 
out warming  its  inhabitants.  I  am  happy  to  find 
that  you  are  at  least  a  little  better  in  politics  than 
last  year,  and  though  your  Governor  has  failed,  his 
Lieutenant  and  Senate  are  of  consequence.  We 
are  very  sanguine  here  with  regard  to  our  election, 
which  comes  on  shortly,  with  how  much  reason,  I 
know  not." 

April  23.  From  John  Q,.  Adams  in  Washington. 
"  I  have  received  your  two  letters  of  last  week,  with 
a  dozen  copies  of  my  letter  to  Mr.  Otis,  and  Mr. 
Gardiner's  Fast  sermon.  1  thank  you  most  cor- 
dially for  the  promptitude  with  which  you  executed 


256  MEMORIALS   OF 

the  charge  of  publication.  I  find  the  federal  news- 
papers of  Boston,  which  began  with  a  system  of 
silence  about  my  letter,  have  at  last  found  their 
tongues.  Of  the  use  which  their  opponents  make 
of  this  paper,  I  cannot  be  surprised.  But  if  there 
be  such  a  person  as  a  candid  and  impartial  federalist, 
(and  I  trust  the  great  majority  of  them  are  such,)  I 
ask  him  to  say  who  is  justly  chargeable  with  my 
publication,  and  all  its  effects,  whatever  they 
may  be.  I  had  no  party  purpose,  no  electioneering 
views.  But  an  attack  so  violent,  and  at  such  a 
time,  and  in  such  a  manner,  was  a  strong  call  upon 
me  for  notice.  Yet  1  have  most  truly  said  that  this 
alone,  I  would  have  overlooked.  My  motives  were 
altogether  of  a  public  nature." 

May  18.  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  in  New  York,  to 
Rev.  Mr.  Eliot  of  Boston,  and  deposited  with  Mr. 
Shaw.  "  In  that  letter  I  spoke  of  my  interview 
with  Mr.  J.  Q,.  Adams,  who  brought  me  a  letter 
from  you.  He  is  a  charming  man.  I  wish  much 
to  enjoy  the  honor  and  pleasure  of  a  more  intimate 
acquaintance  with  him.  Every  succeeding  session 
of  Congress,  and  every  increase  of  my  knowledge 
of  him,  places  him  higher  in  my  esteem.  I  hope 
you  will  never  let  him  pass  through  New  York 
without  bringing  me  a  letter  from  you.  The  An- 
thology for  March  I  have  just  seen.  The  letter,  to 
which  the  editors  allude,  I  should  have  no  doubt, 
without  your  information,  came  from  Dr.  Hobart. 
He  is  absolutely  animated  by  a  zeal  on  the  subject 
of  episcopacy,  which  may  with  propriety  be  called 
fanatical.  The  reviewers  are  severe ;  but  if  they 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  257 

saw  the  whole  ground  as  we  see  it,  in  this  city, 
standing  in  the  midst  of  the  combatants,  they  would 
think  themselves  rather  to  have  erred  on  the  side  of 
gentleness.  I  feel  myself  much  flattered  by  the 
original  review,  and  by  the  respectful  manner  in 
which  I  am  treated  in  this  note  of  the  editors." 

June  3.  From  the  editors  of  the  Medical  Journal, 
of  New  York.  They  express  their  views  of  the 
duty  which  devolves  on  the  conductors  of  periodi- 
cal publications,  as  to  care  in  using  and  crediting 
each  other's  articles. 

August.  Mr.  Shaw,  during  this  month,  accompa- 
nied the  Rev.  Joseph  S.  Buckminster  on  a  journey 
to  Kennebec,  particularly  for  the  health  of  the 
latter,, 

August  18.  Edward  Little,  of  Newburyport,  states 
that  he  is  concerned  in  editing  Ashe's  Travels,  from 
the  London  edition  ;  but  that  his  copy  has  lost  a  few 
pages,  and  he  should  be  much  obliged  to  Mr.  Shaw 
for  another  volume,  so  as  to  supply  the  deficiency. 

Oct.  11.  From  N.  Lawrence,  in  Boston,  to  Rev. 
William  Shepherd  at  Gateacre,  near  Liverpool.  "  It 
is  the  intention  of  this  letter  to  introduce  to  you, 
Mr.  Shaw  of  this  city,  a  gentleman  to  whom  the 
town  of  Boston  is  indebted  for  the  establishment 
of  an  institution,  having  the  same  object  in  view, 
as  that  which  has  reflected  so  much  credit  upon 
Liverpool. 

"  Owing  to  the    unremitting   exertions    of    Mr. 

Shaw,  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  though  in  its  infancy,. 

already  possesses  a  library  which  would,  both  for 

its  size  and  selection,  do  credit  to  a  much   older 

23 


258  MEMORIALS   OF 

establishment ;  and  the  constant  additions  it  is  re- 
ceiving, promise  to  place  it  in  a  very  high  rank 
among  the  literary  institutions  of  America. 

"  The  proprietors  of  the  Boston  Athenseum  have  a 
very  considerable  fund  ;  part  of  which  they  propose 
to  apply  to  the  erection  of  a  building  for  the  recep- 
tion of  their  books  and  newspapers.  As  the  active 
patron  of  the  establishment,  Mr.  Shaw  is  anxious 
for  a  correspondence  with  one  of  the  leading  sup- 
porters of  the  parent  institution,  and  lam  confident 
that  you  will  feel  pleasure  in  answering  any  inqui- 
ries he  may  propose  with  regard  to  the  minor  regu- 
lations of  our  Athenaeum,  and  to  point  out  to  him 
the  best  means  for  securing  a  regular  and  early  sup- 
ply of  English  publications.  Mr.  Shaw  instructs 
me  to  say,  that  on  his  part  he  shall  be  happy  to  com- 
municate any  literary  information  relative  to  Amer- 
ica, which  may  be  interesting  to  you. 

"  During  the  federal  administration,  Mr.  Shaw 
held  the  situation  of  private  secretary  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States." 

Oct.  13.  From  Paul  Allen  in  Providence,  R.  I. 
"  Observing  in  the  last  number  of  the  Panoplist,  a 
letter  purporting  to  be  from  the  pen  of  Pomare, 
King  of  Otaheiti,  I  was  induced  to  believe  that  the 
handwriting  of  that  person  might  be  a  present  ac- 
ceptable to  the  proprietors  of  the  Athenaeum.  Mr. 
Gushing,  a  gentleman  of  respectable  character  in 
this  town,  and  the  person  to  whom  the  letter  from 
Pomare  was  addressed,  favored  me  with  the  enclosed 
specimen  of  Pomare's  handwriting.  It  was  an  in- 
vitation to  Mr.  Gushing  to  come  on  shore  for  the 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  259 

purpose  of  receiving,  as  a  present  from  His  Majesty, 
the  breast-plate  of  feathers  \yhich  he  wore  on  im- 
portant occasions,  and  which  he  declared  he  would 
not  part  with  to  any  other  person  for  the  price  of 
ten  roast  hogs,  that  being  the  standard  of  estimation 
in  that  country," 

Nov.  1.  A  letter  from  Parker  Cleaveland  in  Bruns- 
wick, Me.  It  is  about  the  recent  establishment  of 
a  reading-room  there,  and  the  newspapers  to  be  taken 
by  its  members. 

Nov.  8.  From  J.  Wagner  of  Baltimore.  "Mr. 
Q,uincy  was  obliging  enough  to  send  me  your  favor 
of  the  25th  ult.,  as  he  passed  through.  I  have  or- 
dered the  North  American  to  be  sent  to  your  address. 
Your  flattering  opinion  of  this  publication  is  proba- 
bly produced  more  by  the  abilities  which  others 
transfuse  into  it,  than  by  any  effort  I  am  capable  of 
making.  In  truth,  the  drudgery  of  a  new  estab- 
lishment, and  the  minutiae  which  the  novelty  of  the 
thing  and  the  want  of  the  best  assistance  have 
forced  upon  me,  do  not  leave  me  much  time  for 
study.  Such  as  it  is,  I  shall  be  happy  to  exchange 
with  you  for  the  Anthology,  whose  repute  stands 
upon  a  much  better  foundation.  We  are  not  much 
of  authors  in  Baltimore,  and  therefore  very  few 
pamphlets  make  their  appearance.  That  the  ex- 
change may  not  be  unequal,  let  us  alternate,  that 
you  may  have  justice.  I  will  begin  by  sending  you 
Mr.  Custis's  pamphlet  upon  sheep." 

Nov.  13.  From  Francis  Blake  of  Worcester.  "I 
am  about  publishing  a  pamphlet  containing  part  of 
the  arguments  on  the  embargo  question  decided  at 


260  MEMORIALS  OF 

Salem,  together  with  the  judgment  of  the  Court." 
Judge  Davis  had  consented  for  him  to  have  a  copy. 
He  was  informed  by  his  brother  of  Boston,  that  Mr. 
Pickering  of  Salern  had  intended  to  report  it,  but 
had  relinquished  the  design.  He  desired  Mr.  Shaw 
to  forward  him  a  transcript.  "  The  subject  will 
lose  its  interest,  unless  it  is  soon  brought  before  the 
public." 

Dec.  5.  From  a  gentleman  in  Cadiz.  "  The  mis- 
taken policy  of  Bonaparte  in  pouring  his  legions 
into  Spain,  and  attempting  to  seat  his  brother  on  the 
throne,  roused  the  people  from  the  lethargy  in 
which  they  had  slumbered.  It  is  impossible  to  con- 
ceive, without  being  on  the  spot,  of  the  enthusiasm 
which  animates  every  class.  The  detention  of 
Ferdinand  kindled  the  flame  that  was  just  ready  to 
burst  forth.  At  the  same  moment,  the  people  of 
the  most  distant  provinces,  without  any  previous 
concert,  rose  up  in  arms.  Since  that  period,  they 
have  been  successful  in  every  action."  The  writer 
remarked,  that  there  were  strong  hopes  that  the 
Spaniards  would  successfully  resist  the  attempts  of 
Bonaparte.  But  experience  proved  the  contrary. 

Dec.  23.  Introduction  of  Ogilvie,  by  Go.  Kem- 
ble  of  New  York,  to  Mr.  Shaw.  "  By  the  present 
I  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  your  acquaint- 
ance, the  celebrated  Mr.  Ogilvie,  whose  great  talents 
and  acquirements  entitle  him  to  the  esteem  of  every 
lover  of  polite  literature.  I  do  not  pretend  to  apol- 
ogize for  taking  this  liberty,  for  should  you  receive 
but  one-half  the  enjoyment  in  his  company,  which 
I  am  sure  you  will,  you  will  return  me  thanks  a 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  261 

thousand  fold.  Mr.  Ogilvie  proposes  to  deliver 
some  orations  in  Boston  ;  your  assistance  may  be 
of  use  to  him ;  by  rendering  it,  you  will  extremely 
oblige  me." 

Dec.  25.  From  William  H.  Surnner  in  Washing- 
ton. "  I  have  risen  this  morning  with  an  intention  of 
visiting  Mount  Vernon  with  Wells.  While  waiting 
for  the  carriage,  I  seize  the  moment  to  inform  you 
of  one  fact,  which  has  more  the  appearance  of  a 
continuation  arid  enforcement  of  the  present  system 
of  measures,  than  any  which  has  preceded  it, 
although  no  further  evidence  was  necessary  to  con- 
vince any  one  here.  A  committee  of  the  House 
agreed  last  night  to  report  a  bill  authorizing  the 
President  to  receive  fifty  thousand  volunteers,  to 
appoint  five  major  generals,  etc.  They  are  deter- 
mined to  enforce  the  embargo  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet.  The  grand  debate  begins  to-morrow  on 
Giles's  bill.  I  think  duincy  will  be  great,  from 
former  specimens." 

1809,  January  19.  From  Rev.  Henry  Channing 
at  Canandaigua.  "  I  am  now  pleasantly  situated 
with  my  little  family.  The  distance  from  the  few 
connections  remaining  of  my  name,  is  the  only  con- 
sideration which  is  unpleasant.  There  are,  indeed, 
some  circumstances  in  every  situation  not  entirely 
consonant  to  our  wishes.  This  is  a  mixed  state. 
Infinite  wisdom  and  goodness  cannot  err.  Heaven 
fixes  the  bounds  of  our  habitation,  which  we  cannot 
pass. 

"  In  this  place,  there  is  a  great  variety  of  charac- 
ter.    There  are  several  very   respectable   men   of 
23* 


MEMORIALS   OF 

your  profession.  There  are  also  other  men  of  infor- 
mation. The  village  is  small,  consisting  of  about 
one  hundred  houses ;  the  town  is  twelve  miles  by 
six.  The  state  of  religion  is  by  no  means  prom- 
ising. I  have  been  pained  to  find  how  readily  people 
from  New  England  part  with  even  the  forms  of  re- 
ligion, when  removed  to  other  States.  I  have  a 
small  congregation,  who  hear  me  with  attention  and 
ireat  me  very  affectionately. 

"The  state  of  our  country  excites  my  most  seri- 
ous apprehensions.  The  debates  in  Congress  are 
often  distinguished  by  the  worst  of  passions,  and 
.are  calculated  to  excite  the  worst  passions.  Biting 
sarcasms  and  severe  personalities,  in  my  view,  dis- 
grace the  chamber  of  a  national  legislature." 

Jan.  24.  Of  this  date  are  various  toasts,  given  at 
a  festival  in  honor  of  the  Spanish  patriots,  by  citi- 
zens of  Boston,  and  preserved  by  Mr.  Shaw.  As 
indicative  of  sentiments,  entertained  by  the  federal 
party  on  political  matters,  a  few  of  the  toasts  are 
selected. 

11  Our  own  Country.  May  it  not  prove  too  wide 
for  union ;  too  sordid  for  patriotism ;  nor  too 
democratic  for  liberty." 

"  The  Patriotic  Legislature  of  Massachusetts. 
In  this  time  of  peril,  may  they  think  'nothing  done 
while  any  thing  remains  undone,'  to  preserve  the 
constitution  and  liberties  of  our  country." 

"  The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  ;  as  now 
practiced  upon  : 

1 A  dream  of  what  thou  wast !  a  garish  flag, 
To  be  the  aim  of  every  dangerous  shot. 
A  sign  of  dignity  !  a  breath  !  a  bubble ! ' " 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  263 

Jan.  29.  E.  Bacon  in  Washington,  to  Mr.  Shaw 
about  Congressional  documents.  "The  general  ob- 
ject which  you  have  in  view  in  your  collections  for 
the  Athenosum,  is  certainly  both  useful  to  the  public 
and  honorable  to  yourself.  I  will  endeavor  to  fur- 
nish you  with  all  I  can  obtain." 

March  6.  From  William  P.  Farrand  of  Philadel- 
phia. "I  am  desirous  that  you  should  have  my 
Bacon  noticed  in  the  Anthology,  at  some  length,  and 
my  premium  editions  also.  I  have  put  a  great  deal 
of  extra  expense  on  these  publications.  I  informed 
you  of  one  of  the  editors,  that  you  might  speak 
more  confidently  of  the  work." 

March  9.  At  this  time,  Mr.  Shaw  was  active  in 
procuring  an  annuity  for  Miss  Hannah  Adams.  A 
correspondent  writes  to  him,  that  he  is  ready  to  be- 
come a  life  subscriber  in  such  beneficence. 

April  8.  From  William  Plummer,  of  Epping, 
N.  H.  "  As  we  are  both  engaged  in  making  a  col- 
lection of  State  papers,  it  has  occurred  to  me  that 
we  may,  with  very  little  trouble,  mutually  assist 
each  other,  particularly  in  the  collection  of  the  jour- 
nals and  proceedings  of  the  legislatures  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  New  Hampshire."  A  plan  is  accord- 
ingly proposed. 

June  15.  From  G.  J.  E.  Smissart  in  New  York. 
"  In  the  Monthly  Anthology  for  April  of  this  year, 
I  find  such  an  extensive  extract  of  the  Memoir  of 
Talleyrand,  "  Sur  les  relationes  commerciales  des 
Etats  Unis  avec  PAngleterre,"  &c.,  which  appears 
to  have  been  reprinted  in  London  in  the  French  lan- 
guage, that  it  makes  me  suppose  that  one  or  more 


2G4  MEMORIALS  OF 

copies  of  that  interesting  document  may  have  been 
received  in  Boston  by  the  editors  of  the  above  named 
periodical  work.  I  was  well  acquainted  with  that 
memoir,  having  before  I  left  Europe  received  a 
copy  of  it  as  a  present,  from  the  hand  of  the  author. 
I  lost  it  at  the  time  of  my  shipwreck  when  coming 
to  this  country,  and  I  am  so  desirous  to  replace  that 
loss,  that  I  take  the  liberty  of  addressing  myself  to 
you,  requesting  that  I  may  be  informed  whether  I 
can  possibly  obtain  a  copy  of  it  in  French,  or  if 
not,  in  English^  no  matter  at  what  price  ;  and  when 
I  judge  your  kind  disposition  to  be  such  as  will- 
ingly to  be  of  service,  where  and  whenever  it  is  in 
your  power,  I  think  I  feel  authorized  to  ask  of  you 
this  favor;  the  more  so,  as  it  gives  me  pleasure  to 
find  an  opportunity  at  which  I  may  express  my 
readiness  to  be  of  service  to  you,  whenever  occasion 
may  call  for  it." 

June  15.  From  J.  E.  Hall  of  Baltimore.  "  Hav- 
ing observed  your  solicitude  to  collect  articles  of 
literary  information,  I  take  the  liberty  of  sending  a 
copy  of  the  Preface  to  a  work  which  I  wrote  some 
time  ago.  Many  extracts  have  been  published  in 
the  octavo  volumes  of  the  Portfolio,  by  my  friend 
Mr.  Dennie,  from  which  you  may  collect  an  opinion 
of  the  work.  As  I  cannot  publish  it  without  the 
aid  of  a  subscription,  I  Jiave  little  expectation  of 
seeing  it  in  print  in  this  country.  Still,  however,  I 
may  derive  some  advantage  from  your  assistance  in 
Boston.  If  your  publisher  is  in  that  way  of  busi- 
ness, you  will  have  the  goodness  to  give  him  one 
of  the  papers  ;  when  the  book  is  published,  he  will 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  265 

be  allowed  as  many  sets  as  he  has  subscribers,  at  a 
deduction  of  twenty  per  cent. 

"  You  may  also  announce  that  John  E.  Hale,  Esq., 
Attorney  at  Law,  of  Baltimore,  has  finished  and 
will  speedily  publish  a  translation  of  the  '  Praxis 
Suprernae  Curias  Admiralitatis  Francisci  Clerke,  etc. 
Editio  duinta  emendata,  1798.'  It  is  a  book  in 
great  estimation  among  lawyers  ;  in  fact  it  is  the 
only  one  on  the  subject ;  the  third  edition  bears 
date,  1722.  Clerke  was  a  Proctor  in  the  court  of 
Arches  during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  I  shall  add 
notes  on  our  own  practice,  as  derived  from  rules  of 
court  or  acts  of  Congress." 

About  July.  Mr.  Shaw  to  Henry  Higginson. 
"  Several  weeks  previously  to  my  receiving  your 
letter  of  the  30th  March,  1809,  in  which  you  so 
kindly  volunteered  your  services  to  the  Athenasum, 
at  the  request  of  Mr.  Tyng  I  had  done  myself  the 
honor  to  write  a  long  letter,  giving  you  a  minutely 
detailed  account  of  the  progress  of  the  institution, 
the  objects  it  embraced,  and  the  grounds  on  which 
our  hopes  were  founded  of  its  success.  After  the 
receipt  of  your  letters  of  30th  March,  7th  April,  and 
19th  June,  I  felt  much  emboldened  by  your  good- 
ness, and  ventured  to  write  you  two  letters  more  on 
the  same  subject.  These,  as  they  were  written  at 
a  period  when  the  intercourse  between  the  two 
countries  was  encumbered  by  too  much  regulation, 
and  as  you  have  never  done  me  the  honor  to  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  of  them,  I  fear  have  miscar- 
ried. Two  of  them,  I  think,  were  sent  by  the  way 
of  New  York.  In  addition  to  the  very  particular 


266  MEMORIALS  OF 

account  which  I  gave  you  of  the  state  of  the  insti* 
tution  at  that  period,  I  most  gratefully  acknowl- 
edged my  high  sense  of  your  goodness  in  the  proffer 
of  your  services,  arid  of  which  I  most  gladly  availed 
myself.  I  have  now,  my  dear  sir,  to  repeat  and  re* 
new  my  most  sincere  and  grateful  acknowledgments 
for  your  continued  attention  in  sending  the  newspa- 
pers and  magazines  with  so  much  punctuality  and 
dispatch  ;  of  the  perplexity  and  trouble  of  which, 
perhaps  no  man  living  can  have  a  more  perfect  per- 
suasion than  myself.  The  conviction  which  you 
must  and  ought  to  possess,  of  having  by  your  good- 
ness and  exertions,  greatly  contributed  towards 
advancing  the  interest  and  prosperity  of  a  literary 
institution  in  the  dear  town  of  Boston,  and  which 
promises  great  good  to  our  country,  may  perhaps  be 
some  remuneration  for  your  services  ;  nothing  short 
of  this,  I  am  persuaded,  can  be. 

11  The  institution  I  flatter  myself  is  gradually  and 
most  certainly  gaining  patrons  and  friends.  Many 
have  realized  its  pleasures  and  advantages,  and 
would  not  part  with  them,  as  they  have  often  told 
me,  for  three  times  the  amount  which  they  have 
paid.  We  are  constantly  receiving  donations  from 
our  friends,  at  home  and  abroad  ;  and  whenever  it 
rnay  be  deemed  expedient,  I  have  no  doubt,  with 
proper  exertion,  the  funds  of  the  institution  may  be 
greatly  increased  by  additional  sums  from  the  pres- 
ent proprietors,  and  a  grant  obtained  from  the  legis- 
lature, which,  when  it  gave  us  our  act  of  incorpora- 
tion, gave  to  its  members  equal  rights  and  privileges 
with  the  proprietors.  These  you  may  well  suppose 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  267 

I  consider  very  great,  and  afford  a  powerful  and 
rightful  claim  on  the  legislature  for  some  remunera- 
tion and  patronage.  I  do  myself  the  honor  to  send, 
by  the  Galen,  the  only  sheets  of  the  catalogue 
which  we  have  yet  published.  I  hope,  in  a  few 
weeks,  to  send  you  a  complete  copy.  When  you 
consider  that  it  is  only  three  years  since  the  institu- 
tion was  organized,  and  that  in  value  and  number 
of  books  there  are  in  the  country  but  two  libraries 
superior  to  ours,  I  hope  you  will  not  be  disappointed 
in  the  progress  we  have  made.  In  addition  to  the 
books  included  in  the  catalogue,  we  have  nearly  six 
thousand  volumes  belonging  to  John  Q,.  Adams, 
which,  when  he  left  this  country  for  St.  Peters- 
burgh,  he  kindly  deposited  in  the  institution,  and 
the  greater  part  of  which  will  probably  remain  as 
long  as  we  may  wish  for  them. 

"  But  after  every  possible  exertion  which  can  be 
made  here,  in  the  present  state  of  science  and  litera- 
ture in  our  country,  the  prosperity  and  success  of  an 
institution  like  the  Athenaeum  very  much  depend 
on  the  facility  and  punctuality  with  which  we  pro- 
cure the  foreign  political  and  literary  journals,  and 
especially  the  English.  These  I  consider  it  very 
important  to  obtain,  with  the  greatest  possible  dis- 
patch, as  they  are  most  calculated  to  attract  popular 
attention,  and  as  the  number  of  the  annual  subscri- 
bers depends  in  a  great  degree  on  the  variety,  the 
novelty  and  regularity  with  which  we  are  able  to 
furnish  the  rooms  with  this  species  of  amusement. 
I  therefore  wish  to  intrude  still  further  on  your 
goodness,  and  ask  the  favor  of  you  to  adopt  such  a 


268  MEMORIALS   OF 

plan  as  will  with  the  greatest  degree  of  certainty 
insure  the  reception  of  the  publications  from  Eng- 
land earlier,  if  possible,  and  certainly  as  early  as 
any  one  in  America.  In  effecting  this  great  object, 
I  wish  to  ask  the  favor  of  you  to  make  the  neces- 
sary arrangements,  without  any  regard  whatever  to 
the  expense  ;  for  expense  is  really  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, when  compared  with  the  good  to  be  obtained. 
I  wish  that  you  would  send  as  freely  by  vessels 
bound  to  other  ports,  as  well  as  those  to  the  port  of 
Boston,  especially  if  you  should  think  we  might 
receive  the  publications  by  this  conveyance  one 
single  day  sooner  than  by  a  direct  opportunity. 
Perhaps  it  might  be  well  never  to  send  more  than 
one  file  of  papers  and  a  few  magazines  and  reviews 
by  one  vessel.  Perhaps  Mr.  James  Carter,  at  Liv- 
erpool, and  who  has  kindly  offered  his  services,  may 
be  useful  in  aiding  us  to  execute  the  project.  But 
after  all,  I  confide  the  whole  to  your  exertions,  with 
a  firm  persuasion,  from  past  experience  of  your 
goodness,  that  every  thing  will  be  done,  consistent 
with  your  numerous  and  more  pressing  avocations, 
calculated  to  promote  this  most  desirable  object. 

"  The  Edinburgh,  London  and  Quarterly  Re- 
views, my  friend  Mr.  Rice  sends  to  the  Athenaeum. 
If  there  be  any  journals  of  high  merit  which  we 
do  not  take,  I  will  thank  you  to  add  them  to  the 
list.  The  Universal  Magazine  is  poor  stuff,  and  if 
you  please  you  may  stop  it  after  the  present  volume 
(14th)  is  completed.  We  have  never  taken  any 
magazine  from  Edinburgh,  and  I  wish  you  to  send 
me  the  Edinburgh  Monthly  Magazine,  five  numbers 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  269 

only  of  which  have  been  published  ;  all  of  which 
may  be  sent  out.  Also  the  Critical  Review,  the 
Repertory  of  Arts,  and  any  others  you  may  think 
proper.  I  also  enclose  a  memorandum  of  a  few 
magazines  which  are  wanting  to  complete  the  vol- 
umes. I  wish  you  to  consider  the  whole  business 
relative  to  English  newspapers  and  magazines  per- 
fectly and  exclusively  under  your  control ;  and  if  it 
should  so  happen,  that  under  this  unqualified  power 
any  mistakes  might  be  committed,  I  could  easily 
give  you  information  long  before  any  serious  pecu- 
niary loss  could  accrue  to  the  institution. 

"  I  sent  to  you  by  Mr.  S.  Welles,  who  embarked 
for  Liverpool  in  the  Sally  Ann,  a  first,  bill  of  ex- 
change, at  thirty  days'  sight,  drawn  upon  Messrs. 
Richard  Butler  &  Co.  for  £127  6  8,  which  I  pre- 
sume ydti  have  received,  and  the  bill  accepted.  I 
now  do  myself  the  honor  to  enclose  the  second, 
which  I  wish  you  to  pass  to  the  credit  of  the  Athe- 
naeum ;  and  as  soon  as  it  may  be  convenient,  to 
transmit  to  me  your  account.  There  will  probably 
be  a  small  balance  in  our  favor,  which  you  will  of 
course  keep  in  your  hands. 

"  I  also  wish  to  ask  the  favor  of  you  to  send  out, 
as  soon  as  possible  after  publication,  some  of  the 
most  interesting  pamphlets,  particularly  every  one 
on  any  subject  in  which  this  country  in  any  degree 
may  be  interested." 

Prom  the  same  to  the  same,  near  the  preceding: 

date.     "  In  compliance  with  your  kind  offer,   my 

good  friend,  to  render  any  services  in  your  power,. 

during  your  residence  in  Europe,  to  the  Athenaeum,. 

24 


270  MEMORIALS   OF 

for  which  I  most  sincerely  thank  you,  I  now  do 
myself  the  honor  to  enclose  an  order  for  a  few 
books,  which  I  hope  you  will  be  successful  in  pro- 
curing. Those  ordered  from  England  have  all 
been  lately  published,  and  of  course  you  will  find 
no  difficulty  in  purchasing  ;  some  of  them  are  pam- 
phlets, and  the  value  of  many  of  the  others  to  the 
institution  depend  on  our  receiving  them  by  the 
earliest  opportunity.  I  therefore  wish  you,  if  pos- 
sible, to  procure  them  and  send  them  to  me  in  a 
package  from  Liverpool  by  the  first  vessel  which 
sails  after  your  arrival  at  London.  The  books 
ordered  from  Italy  are  of  rarer  value,  more  difficult 
to  be  procured,  and  which  of  course  you  will  attend 
to  as  your  leisure  permits.  If  you  succeed  in  the 
execution  of  this  order,  you  may  have  the  pleasure 
of  congratulating  yourself  in  being  instrumental  in 
introducing  highly  valuable  books  into  your  coun- 
try, of  which  probably,  at  the  present  time,  there 
does  not  exist  a  single  copy.  In  addition  to  this 
order,  I  wish  you  to  procure  me  every  book  you 
can  find  in  Italy  relative  to  America,  excepting 
Castiglioni's  Travels,  which  we  have  j  for  it  is  a 
great  object  with  me  to  procure  every  book,  in 
every  language,  that  was  ever  written  respecting 
our  own  country. 

({  You  will  observe  that  I  have  ordered  but  a  few 
books  from  Paris.  You  will  remember  that  I  sent 
out,  by  Mr.  John  Gray,  an  order  to  the  amount  of 
twenty-three  hundred  dollars,  which  order  has  been 
executed,  and  for  which  I  have  paid.  The  books  I 
probably  shall  receive  by  the  Sally,  which  was  to 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  271 

sail  from  Bourdeaux  some  time  in  October,  in  which 
vessel  Mr.  Armstrong  is  most  certainly  to  come 
home,  and  under  whose  protection  the  books  are  to 
be.  You  will  see  Mr.  Wilder,  who  can  give  you 
information  relative  to  Treuttel  &  Wirtz,  our  book- 
sellers in  Paris,  who  will  probably  have  a  list  of 
every  book  sent  out.  This  you  may  consider  as  a 
part  of  our  catalogue.  If  there  should  have  been 
any  highly  distinguished  work  of  merit  published, 
scientific  or  literary,  since  that  order  was  executed, 
I  should  thank  you  to  send  me  a  few  of  the  most 
meritorious.  I  wish  you  most  particularly  to  make 
some  certain  arrangements  with  Mr.  Wilder,  by 
which  we  may  most  surely  and  promptly  receive 
the  French  papers  and  literary  journals.  I  wish 
also  to  ask  the  favor  of  you  to  collect  some  of  the 
best  literary  discourses  addressed  to  learned  soci- 
eties, &c.  &c.,  with  which  Paris  abounds.  I  want 
these  not  only  for  the  Athenaeum,  but  in  order  to 
translate  parts  of  the  best  of  them  for  the  Anthology. 

"  You  will  observe  that  I  have  ordered  Hum- 
boldt's  Travels  in  South  America.  Ail  the  works 
of  this  author  I  am  very  desirous  of  procuring  by 
the  earliest  opportunity.  In  France,  as  in  Italy,  I 
give  you  the  power  to  procure  for  me  every  book 
you  can  find  relative  to  America,  which  you  may 
learn  from  our  catalogue  we  do  not  already  possess. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  collecting  for  us  some  of 
the  most  celebrated  medals  in  Paris,  all  you  send  to 
be  in  bronze  ?  Sawyer  tells  me  that  you  may  pro- 
cure a  complete  series  illustrating  the  principal 
events  of  Bonaparte's  public  life,  for  thirty  dollars. 


272  MEMORIALS    OF 

I  should  like  also  to  procure  some  struck  off  in 
honor  of  the  principal  literary  men  of  France  ;  but 
for  this  object  I  should  not  dare  to  authorize  you  to 
pay  more  than  fifty  dollars,  at  farthest.  By  the 
way,  Ralph  Read  has  returned  home,  and  says  he 
sent  for  the  Athenaeum  a  considerable  collection  of 
medallions,  addressed  to  your  care  ;  but  as  I  have 
never  received  them,  he  has  written  to  Washington 
to  inquire  respecting  them.  If  you  can  give  us  any 
information,  I  will  thank  you. 

"  In  every  country  where  you  go,  my  friend, 
send  us  booksellers'  prices  and  catalogues  of  the 
latest  date.  These  are  of  immense  advantage  in 
aiding  us  to  select  a  library.  They  designate  the 
place  where  books  are  to  be  found,  and  the  price  for 
which  they  may  be  procured.  Short  bibliograph- 
ical sketches  are  given  of  the  editors,  style  of  bind- 
ing, &c.,  which  enable  us  to  make  our  orders  with 
a  great  degree  of  certainty,  and  scarcely  with  the 
possibility  of  their  being  mistaken." 

Sept.  23.  William  Cunningham,  Jr.,  at  Fitch- 
burg,  vvrites  to  Ex-President  John  Adams.  "  Three 
days  of  this  week,  I  was  absent  on  a  journey  to 
Boston.  I  passed  some  hours  at  the  Athenaeum, 
and  at  the  office  of  its  founder,  with  even  more  sat- 
isfaction than  I  had  anticipated.  An  enterprise  of 
so  much  utility,  originating  in  the  foresight  and 
public  spirit  of  Mr.  Shaw,  and  seconded  by  his 
urbanity,  industry  and  exactness,  cannot  fail  of 
reaching  a  point,  that  will  give  him  an  immortality 
of  renown." 

Nov.  6.     John  Pintard,  of  New   York,   to   Mr. 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  273 

Shaw.  "  We  are  attempting  a  reading-room  as  an 
appendage  to  our  Historical  Society,  to  afford  the 
means  of  collecting  more  extensively  the  gazettes 
and  ephemeral  productions  of  the  United  States. 
Time  only  can  prove  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 
Appearances  are,  however,  flattering."  He  proposes 
an  exchange  of  publications.  "  We  are  scarcely 
yet  in  embryo,  but  I  do  not  despair  that  the  utility 
of  the  society  will  awaken  and  attract  the  notice 
and  patronage  of  our  fellow  citizens.  We  have 
more  phlegm  to  encounter  than  you  have.  But  it 
is  characteristic  of  our  city  to  proceed  heavily  in 
every  thing  that  relates  to  taste  and  science."  It  is 
accompanied  with  a  printed  address  of  the  New 
York  Historical  Society. 

1810,  March  3.  From  James  Ogilvie,  at  Newport, 
R.  I.  "  It  will,  I  am  sure,  afford  you  peculiar  plea- 
sure to  be  informed  that  an  institution,  analogous 
to  the  Boston  Athenseum,  (although  on  a  smaller 
scale,)  is  about  to  be  established  in  Providence.  A 
considerable  sum  of  money  has  been  already  sub- 
scribed, and  an  act  of  incorporation  obtained.  Will 
you  have  the  goodness  to  communicate  to  Mr.  Paul 
Allen  of  Providence,  by  letter,  a  succinct  account 
of  the  plan  of  the  Athenaeum,  the  arrangements  of 
your  reading-room,  and  any  other  information  which 
you  may  conceive  to  be  necessary  or  useful  ? " 

March  5.  From  Daniel  Howell,  of  Providence, 
R.  I.  He  observes  that  it  is  in  contemplation  to 
establish  an  Athenseum  there,  and  wishes  for  infor- 
mation as  to  the  like  establishment  in  Boston. 

March  6.  From  Edward  S.  Livermore  in  Wash- 
24* 


274  MEMORIALS   OF 

ington.  "  The  inclosed  paper  is  said  to  be  doing 
much  good  in  Virginia,  as,  under  the  mask  of  de- 
mocracy, it  carries  good  federal  stuff  where  a  federal 
paper  could  not  find  admission.  I  wish  some  of 
your  rich,  patriotic  persons  would  afford  it  a  little 
aid.  The  Senate  insist  upon  their  amendment  to 
Macon's  bill,  and  have  chosen  conferees.  The  ques- 
tion is  now  discussing  upon  a  concurrence  with  the 
Senate.  The  editor  of  the  '  Spirit x  of  '76  '  is  in 
heart  a  federalist.'' 

March  7.  From  B.  D.  Perkins  of  New  York. 
He  states,  that  the  strictures  on  the  works  of  Noah 
Webster,  under  the  signature  of  "  Steady  Habits," 
were  from  his  pen.  He  evidently  appeared  preju- 
diced against  Webster,  and  therefore  not  disposed 
to  allow  him  the  merit  which  he  actually  possessed. 

March  14.  From  Isaiah  Thomas  of  Worcester. 
•"  As  you  have  expressed  an  interest  in  the  History 
of  Printing,  it  is  my  wish  you  should  see  it  as  far 
as  it  is  printed,  before  it  undergoes  the  inspection 
of  any  other  person.  I  send  you  a  copy  for  perusal, 
and  request  you  would  favor  me  with  your  candid 
opinion  respecting  it,  before  you  communicate  that 
opinion  to  another.  The  work  will  make  two 
volumes  of  nearly  five  hundred  pages  each.  The 
Catalogue  of  Books  printed  in  America  before  the 
Revolution,  should  I  proceed  with  it,  must  be  a 
separate  volume.  I  often  feel  discouraged  and  in- 
competent to  the  task  I  have  undertaken,  and  not 
seldom,  have  an  inclination  to  lay  it  aside." 

1  In  a  letter  dated  at  Washington,  of  April  22d,  Josiah  Quincy 
recommends  this  print  to  be  subscribed  for  by  the  Boston  Athe- 
na3um. 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  275 

March  15.  From  Augustus  E.  Kendall  in  New 
York.  He  states  that  an  edition  of  his  Travels  in 
North  America,  had  been  published  there  contrary 
to  his  wishes.  He  says  of  the  publication  that  it 
is  incomplete,  for  lack  of  the  drawings  in  his  pos- 
session. "  These  Travels  will  appear  in  England 
in  their  complete  form.  Then,  and  not  till  then, 
will  they  be  properly  amenable  to  a  literary  tribunal. 
I  confidently  flatter  myself  with  experiencing  from 
you  all  that  will  be  suggested  by  your  sense  of 
courtesy." 

March  24.  From  Walter  Channing,  Newport,  R.  I. 
As  arrangements  had  been  made  for  the  revival  of 
the  Redwood  Library,  he  desires  the  aid  of  Mr. 
Shaw  for  carrying  them  into  effect. 

April  11.  From  John  Pickering,  Salem.  "This 
day  we  had  the  first  meeting  of  the  proprietors  of 
the  Athenseum,  and  appointed  a  committee  for  the 
purpose  of  devising  regulations  for  the  Corporation. 
The  committee  have  requested  me  to  ask  you  for  a 
copy  of  the  Regulations  for  your  Athenaeum,  which 

I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  to-day." 

April   12.    From  Mr.   Woodward,  in  Michigan. 

II  Mr.  Woodward  has  the  honor  to  present  his  re- 
spects to  the  editors  of  the  *  Monthly  Anthology 
and  Boston  Review,'  and  to  acknowledge   the  re- 
ception, by  mail,  of  the  fourth  number  of  the  sixth 
volume,  being  that  for  April,  1809,  and  containing 
a  criticism  on  the   { Considerations  respecting  the 
Executive  Government  of  the  United   States.'     At 
this  distance  from   the  theatre  where  the  review 
appeared,  the  attention  of  the  editors  in  transmitting 


276  MEMORIALS  OF 

it,  has  been  alike  polite  and  acceptable  ;  and  nothing 
can  be  more  just  than  their  idea  that  anarchy  accel- 
erates the  moment  of  individual  usurpation.  Per- 
haps the  annexation  of  four  constitutional  counsel- 
lors to  the  executive  of  the  United  States,  without 
the  concurrence  of  two  of  whom  the  President 
cannot  act,  and  who  can  themselves,  in  no  case,  act 
without  the  concurrence  of  the  President,  might,  if 
attempted,  be  productive  of  greater  intrigue  and 
dissension,  than  the  system  of  a  single  elective 
magistrate,  without  any  counsellors  designated  by 
the  constitution  for  personal  consultation.  It  is  at 
least  very  certain  that  any  changes  of  a  constitution 
of  government,  other  than  those  which  are  impe- 
riously necessary,  are  generally  attended  with  much 
practical  evil,  in  exchange  for  a  little  abstract  good. 
By  impairing  the  habits  of  veneration  and  obedi- 
ence, they  relax  all  the  bands  of  society,  and  ter- 
minate in  the  prostration  of  civil  order.  No  other 
people  could  have  borne,  with  safety,  so  many 
successive  advances  in  the  science  of  republican 
government  as  have  been  made  in  America;  and, 
perhaps,  the  Americans  themselves  cannot  bear 
further  experiments. 

"  The  construction  of  the  American  Republic, 
however,  transcends  so  greatly  every  thing  of  which 
the  previous  history  of  the  human  race  presents  an 
example,  both  requires  and  produces  such  public 
intelligence  and  virtue,  and  is  at  once  so  unique 
and  so  sublime,  that  every  suggestion  which  may 
have  a  tendency  to  cement,  or  even  to  decorate  the 
structure,  may  be  worthy  of  a  transient  attention  ,• 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  277 

and  perhaps,  in  an  empire  so  extensive  as  the  United 
States,  a  participation  of  the  different  quarters  in 
the  executive  power,  may  tend  to  preserve  and 
to  fortify  a  union  so  precious  to  America  and  to 
mankind." 

May  10.  From*  John  Vaughan,  in  Philadelphia. 
"  I  have  sent  a  book  for  your  Library,  published 
under  the  direction  of  the  Unitarian  Society  here. 
The  principles  of  that  persuasion  being  little  un- 
derstood here,  where,  till  lately,  no  such  society 
existed." 

June  2.  Prom  Mr.  Shaw's  mother,  in  Atkinson. 
"  Your  good  aunt  Adams  has  made  us  a  most  agree- 
able visit.  I  wish  you  could  have  accompanied 
her.  She  says  that  you  are  very  unwell,  that  you 
are  pressed  with  business,  which  requires  you  to  sit 
up  late  at  night.  I  have  been  long  of  the  opinion 
that  midnight  oil  never  enriched  the  mind  or  the 
purse.  But,  in  its  consequences,  it  impoverishes 
both,  by  destroying  the  health  on  which  they  de- 
pend for  the  increase  of  their  respective  gains. 
Morning  is  the  time  for  the  efficient  performance  of 
our  various  callings.  Come  here  and  recruit.  All 
shall  be  done  to  render  you  happy.  I  thank  you 
for  the  excellent  lectures  of  Mr.  Adams,  which  you 
were  so  kind  as  to  send  me." 

July  12.  John  T.  Kirkland,  at  Clinton,  county  of 
Oneida,  N.  Y.  While  on  a  journey,  he  wrote,  as 
his  words  are,  "  lest  possibly  some  dependence 
should  be  placed  on  my  predictions  or  promises 
uttered  the  last  time  we  met,  in  favor  of  furnishing 
the  other  part  of  the  Review  of  the  dictionaries, 


278  WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW. 

etc.,  for  the  Anthology  of  July.  Or,  if  this  should 
not  be  the  case,  and  my  habit  of  disappointing 
has  cured  the  expectation  of  my  friends,  yet  it 
becomes  debtors  and  delinquents,  debtors  espe- 
cially, to  be  civil,  and  when  they  fail  to  send  prin- 
cipal or  interest,  to  be  ready  with  a  letter  of  excuse. 
The  political  heat  among  the  people  here  seems 
to  be  passing  off  in  the  evaporation  created  by  the 
toil  of  haying.  The  federalists  think  that  they 
lost  the  election  by  the  loss  of  that  of  Massachusetts, 
the  inconceivable  slanders  propagated  respecting  the 
candidate  for  the  governor's  chair,  and  the  unhappy 
circumstance  of  the  cause  of  federalism  being  iden- 
tified with  that  of  Mr.  Jackson,  etc." 


CHAPTER    XIII, 

Resources  of  the  United  States  —  Ogilvie's  Orations  —  Stimulus  — 
Portrait  —  Lewis  and  Clarke's  Expedition  —  Cheeves  —  Slave— 
European  Books  —  Missions  —  Introductions— Meridian — Mathe- 
matical Prodigy — Chronic  Complaints — Maternal  Advice — Mon- 
ument for  Washington  —  History  of  Georgia  —  Cunningham 
Correspondence  —  Libeda  —  Natural  History  —  Seal  —  Death  of 
Buckminster — Remarks  on  S.  Adams,  J.  Otis  and  J.  Hancock — 
Mitchell's  Account  of  Fishes — Lights  for  the  Enemy — Athenae- 
ums in  Philadelphia  and  Portland. 

July  18.  From  Samuel  Ewing  of  Philadelphia. 
"  My  friend,  Robert  Hare,  (late  Professor  of  Chem- 
istry,) has  just  published  a  pamphlet  on  the  power 
and  resources  of  the  United  States.  He  has  not 
given  his  name  to  the  public.  Whatever  may  be 
the  opinion  generally  adopted  of  the  merits  of  this 
production,  the  perusal  of  it  will  satisfy  you,  that 
it  is  written  by  a  man  who  thinks  for  himself  and 
borrows  little  from  others." 

July  26.  From  James  Ogilvie  at  Portsmouth. 
"I  seize,  my  dear  sir,  the  earliest  opportunity  to  in- 
form you  that  the  oration  I  propose  to  deliver  on 
the  Athenasum  is  finished.  It  occupies  about  fifty 
pages,  and  will  require  from  an  hour  and  fifteen  to 
an  hour  and  twenty  minutes  in  the  delivery.  I 
have  devoted  twelve  days  to  the  composition  of  it, 
with  assiduity  and  ardor.  The  subject  is  so  rich 


280  MEMORIALS  OF 

and  diversified,  that  the  principal  difficulty  I  have 
encountered,  has  been  in  the  judicious  choice  and 
striking  disposition  of  the  materials  which  perse- 
vering reflection  has  supplied.  I  have  never  at- 
tempted to  prepare  myself  for  any  rhetorical  exhi- 
bition with  a  deeper  interest,  or  with  so  genuine 
and  unflagging  an  enthusiasm.  The  oration  is  un- 
questionably the  best  I  am  able  to  write,  and  unless 
my  elocution  is  enfeebled  by  one  of  those  unac- 
countable and  most  afflicting  visitations  of  morbid 
depression  to  which  I  am  unhappily  liable,  will  pro- 
duce a  more  powerful  impression  than  any  effusion 
of  this  sort  I  have  ever  pronounced. 

"  I  did  not  even  attempt  to  reflect,  much  less  to 
commit  my  reflections  to  paper  upon  this  subject, 
until  I  began  to  feel  an  entire  renovation  of  physi- 
cal and  intellectual  energy.  The  abrupt  disuse  of 
a  stimulus  (confessedly  the  most  potent,  which  the 
the  materia  medica  can  furnish)  incapacitated  me 
for  several  weeks  for  intense  thinking  or  energetic 
exertion.  At  this  time,  although  my  health  is  lan- 
guid, the  tone  of  my  nerve,  the  activity  and  vigor 
of  my  faculties,  are  perfectly  restored. 

"  Some  considerable  time  will  probably  elapse 
before  I  can  revisit  Boston.  The  interval  will  be 
devoted  almost  exclusively  to  the  revision  and  en- 
largement of  the  oration  I  have  previously  delivered, 
and  to  the  composition  of  others  on  subjects  far 
more  interesting.  I  have  already  printed  a  second 
oration  on  duelling,  in  which  I  have  endeavored  to 
deduce  from  the  admitted  and  fundamental  princi- 
ples of  religion  and  morality  a  conclusive  answer 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  281 

to  every  plausible  argument  that  has  been  urged 
in  vindication  of  this  most  barbarous  and  hateful 
custom. 

11  It  is  not  improbable,  that  previous  to  my  de- 
parture from  this  place  and  during  my  visit  to  Salem, 
I  may  deliver  the  principal  part  of  my  oration  on  the 
Atheneum,  under  the  designation  of  a  discourse  on 
the  l  Utility  of  Public  Libraries,'  in  order  that  I 
may  be  better  prepared  to  pronounce  the  oration  in 
Boston  with  effect.  Have  the  gpodness  to  present 
my  kind  regards  to  Mr.  Buckminster,  and  to  accept 
assurance  of  my  sincere  esteem." 

August  15.  From  William  Crafts  of  Charleston, 
S.  C.  "  I  enclose  you  the  oration  delivered  by  Mr. 
Cheeves,  attorney  general  of  the  State  and  candidate 
for  a  seat  in  the  next  Congress.  He  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  democrats  in  this  country,  and  is  re- 
garded as  the  dernier  resort  of  their  desponding 
forces.  He  has  raised  himself  to  his  present  station 
entirely  by  his  own  exertions,  having  been  wholly 
unassisted  by  education  in  his  younger  years." 

October.  From  Mr.  Shaw's  mother.  "  I  shall  be 
in  town  on  Monday  to  attend  Mr.  Stuart.  I  feel 
an  anxiety  respecting  the  price.  Your  affection  for 
me  may  exceed  the  bounds  of  your  circumstances. 
Mr.  Stuart  was  very  polite,  appeared  sensible  and 
entertaining.  I  have  no  ambition  but  that  it 
[portrait]  should  be  expressive  of  my  benevolence 
to  creation  and  my  affection  for  rny  dear  children. 
These  are  sentiments  which  ever  glow  in  my  bosom 
and  I  hope  illumine  my  countenance.  But  I  felt, 
so  disagreeably  to  sit  down  to  be  looked  at,  and  to 
25 


282  MEMORIALS  OF 

look  up  to  a  stranger's  face,   that  I  fear  little  of  my 
true  lineaments  will  be  seen." 

Oct.  25.  Committed  to  Mr.  Shaw,  apparently  for 
information,  is  a  letter  from  Nicholas  Biddle  of  Phil- 
adelphia to  Col.  George  Gibbs,  the  mineralogist,  of 
Boston.  "  The  busiest  man  in  this  part  of  the 
country  is  myself.  About  five  or  six  months  ago,  I 
consented  very  reluctantly  to  write  the  history  of 
Lewis  and  Clarke's  expedition  to  the  Pacific.  The 
work  will  be  executed  jointly  by  Doctor  Barton 
arid  myself.  As  the  chief  labor  falls  on  myself,  I 
have  been  occupied  most  unremittingly  with  vol- 
umes of  manuscript  journals  and  Indian  names  of 
immeasurable  length,  till  I  am  almost  as  dull  and 
wild  as  the  veriest  savage  on  the  Missouri.  I  begin 
to  see  the  end  of  my  journey  ;  but  the  prospect  is 
still  distant,  and  I  am  almost  frighted  at  what  even 
now  remains  of  the  composition,  correction  and 
publication  of  two  octavo  volumes.  My  part,  how- 
ever, will  be  finished  before  the  maps,  etc.  will  be 
completed,  though  I  am  unable  to  say  when  the 
whole  will  be  published.  This  occupation  of  au- 
thor, added  to  my  usual  profession,  has  received  a 
still  further  increase  ;  for  my  discerning  fellow-citi- 
zens have  lately  made  me  a  legislator,  so  that  I  shall 
pass  the  greater  part  of  the  winter  at  Lancaster,  en- 
gaged in  taking  care  of  the  commonwealth,  and 
quarreling  with  the  Germans  about  turnpike  roads 
and  other  grave  matters.  On  the  subject  of  legisla- 
ting, by  the  way,  I  should  like  some  information." 
He  then  proceeds  to  inquire  about  our  militia  and 
schools.  He  adds,  "  While  I  was  in  Virginia,  I  saw 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  283 

Mr.  Munroe,  who  is  calmly  sitting  down  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  tobacco,  near  Charlottesville.  His  estate 
is  very  good,  but  had  been  out  of  order  during  his 
absence.  However,  he  has  received  another  hand- 
some estate,  left  to  him  by  an  uncle." 

Nov.  4.  Mr.  Shaw  is  chosen  a  Fellow  of  the 
American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 

Nov.  5.  John  Lathrop,  Jr.,  writes  to  Mr.  Shaw 
to  assist  and  encourage  his  plan  to  procure  "an  ap- 
paratus for  experiments  in  a  course  of  lectures  on 
natural  philosophy  "  in  Boston. 

Nov.  10.  From  Hugh  McCall  of  Savannah,  Ga. 
"  I  send  you  the  Life  of  General  James  Jackson  of 
Georgia."  He  mentions  that  the  planters  on  the 
sea  coast  had  lost  three-fourths  of  their  crops  by  a 
gale  in  September.  He  desires  that  a  female  slave, 
who  had  left  his  family  when  he  was  on  a  visit  to 
Boston,  might  be  restored  to  them. 

Nov.  13.  William  S.  Shaw  to  Rev.  Thaddeus  M. 
Harris.  "  In  order  to  lessen  your  labor  and  facili- 
tate your  inquiries  as  much  as  possible,  relative  to 
books  on  America,  for  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  I  have 
taken  the  trouble  to  look  over  Lackington's  cata- 
logue for  1808-9,  and  Priestly's  for  1810,  and  now 
do  myself  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you  a  list  of 
every  book  which  I  could  find,  with  the  numbers 
affixed  in  the  respective  catalogues,  relative  to  this 
great  object ;  one  copy  of  each  book  I  hope  you 
will  be  able  to  procure.  The  same  books  are  some- 
times repeated  in  the  same  catalogue,  and  may  be 
often  found  in  both,  but  I  chose  to  copy  them  as 
they  were  found  in  the  catalogues,  so  that  out  of 


284  MEMORIALS   OP 

the  whole  you  might  select  the  best  copy  of  each. 
You  need  not  trouble  yourself  about  procuring  any 
to  be  bound,  but  send  them  bound  or  in  boards,  as 
you  may  find  them  ;  although  where  you  have  a 
choice,  I  should  much  prefer  the  latter.  I  mean 
this  only  as  to  works  on  America.  If  any  portion 
of  Humboldt's  work  respecting  South  America  be 
translated,  will  you  please  to  send  it  to  me  by  the 
first  opportunity.  I  do  not  wish  you  should  feel 
yourself  in  the  least  restricted  by  any  orders.  I 
send  this  with  its  inclosures  merely  to  assist  your 
inquiries,  but  I  wish  you  to  collect  for  the  Athena3um 
every  book,  tract,  &c.,  relative  to  this  country, 
which  you  may  meet  with,  which  we  do  not 
already  possess.  I  send  you  by  the  Galen,  copies 
of  our  catalogue  to  Mr.  Higginson,  and  to  William 
Scollay  and  R.  Priestley,  our  bookseller  in  London. 
Will  you  give  information  of  such  books  as  he  sent 
out  last,  relative  to  America,  which  are  not  in  the 
catalogue.  As  I  passed  over  the  catologues  in  search 
for  books  on  America,  I  have  occasionally  marked  a 
few  books  on  different  subjects,  which  I  will  thank 
you  to  procure  for  me.  I  also  enclose  an  additional 
list  of  books  on  grammar  and  on  the  origin  and 
progress  of  language  and  letters. 

"  I  hope,  my  dear  sir,  you  will  excuse  me  for  tres- 
passing so  far  on  your  goodness,  as  to  ask  for  your 
exertions  during  your  residence  in  England  in  favor 
of  this  dear  infant  institution,  in  recommending  its 
interests  to  the  attention  and  patronage  of  the  men 
of  learning  and  affluence  in  the  blessed  Island  of 
Great  Britain.  I  have  great  doubts  whether  it  be 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  285 

possible  at  this  period  to  collect  a  great  valuable 
library  for  this  country  without  considerable  contri- 
bution from  the  learned  treasures  of  both  France 
and  England. 

"  The  subject  of  Indian  missions  has  for  a  long 
time  been  in  England  an  interesting  topic  of  dis- 
cussion, and  I  should  feel  myself  under  great  obli- 
gation, if  you  would  make  a  collection  for  the 
Athenaeum  of  the  most  interesting  tracts  on  the 
subject.  Many  of  them  have  been  reviewed  in  the 
Edinburgh  and  Quarterly  Reviews." 

Nov.  19.  From  S.  Goodenow  in  Albany,  N.  Y. 
"  I  have  given  some  gentlemen  letters  of  introduc- 
tion to  you.  My  reasons  for  it  are,  the  advantage 
your  acquaintance  will  be  to  them  and  the  hope  of 
bringing  them  to  be  acquainted  with  and  advocates 
for  institutions  like  the  Athenaeum.  Public  opinion 
and  wishes  look  towards  such  a  thing  here  already, 
and  a  few  years  will  introduce  it  on  a  smaller  scale, 
at  least,  if  nothing  more.  In  New  York,  it  is  taking 
root  in  good  season  and  good  soil.  Salem  also 
has  followed  your  example,  I  learn,  I  believe,  as 
Kendall  in  his  Travels  has  observed,  respecting  the 
Boston  Athenaeum,  we  may  consider  you  as  the 
father  of  the  whole  progeny,  which  is  to  spring 
up." 

Dec.  15.  From  Charles  Sigourney  of  Hartford, 
Conn.  "I  beg  the  favor  of  you  to  introduce  my 
friend,  Mr.  Tisdale,  to  the  delights  of  the  institution 
at  the  head  of  which  you  are  placed,  and  which  is 
so  liberally  open  to  respectable  strangers.  Mr.  Tis- 
dale's  claims  to  your  attention  consist  in  his  being 
25* 


286  MEMORIALS   OF 

a  man  of  talents  in  his  profession,  in  the  opinion 
of  Col.  Trumbull,  which  is  that  of  a  miniature  painter 
and  designer,  and  a  man  of  merit  in  other  respects. 
I  am  persuaded  that  an  acquaintance  will  be  mutu- 
ally agreeable,  and  I  hope  you  will  find  him  like 
Goldsmith's  Sir  Joshua, 

'  Born  to  improve  us  in  every  part, 
His  pencil  our  faces,  his  manners  our  heart/  " 

1811,  January  1.  Jedidiah  Morse,  of  Charlestown, 
addresses  a  circular  to  Mr.  Shaw  for  aid  in  obtaining 
corrections  and  facts  for  his  new  edition  of  the 
American  Universal  Geography. 

Jan.  17.  Among  several  letters  of  Nathaniel 
Bowditch  is  one  of  this  date.  The  correspondence 
relates  to  his  strictures  on  the  memorial  and  papers  of 
William  Lambert,  laid  before  Congress,  "  relative  to 
the  establishment  of  a  first  meridian  in  and  for  the 
United  States." 

Feb.  11.  A  letter  from  Josiah  Quincy  in  Wash- 
ington, expressing  his  earnest  and  repeated  wish 
that  the  plan,  proposed  in  Boston  the  year  before, 
for  the  maintenance  and  education  of  Zerah  Colburn, 
might  be  carried  into  effect.  There  were  several 
communications  on  the  same  subject.  The  leading 
motive  with  the  writers  was,  to  save  the  child  from 
the  probable  ruin  of  being  exhibited  as  a  mathe- 
matical prodigy.  A  contract  accompanies  them,  in 
which  Mr.  Shaw  is  one  of  five  trustees  of  a  fund, 
to  be  collected  by  subscription  for  such  an  object. 
But  it  seems  that  the  father  of  the  boy  delayed  at 
first  to  comply  with  the  terms,  so  that  when  he 
consented,  the  enterprise  was  relinquished  through 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  287 

dissatisfaction  with  his  course.  Still  another  at- 
tempt of  the  kind  was  made  in  Exeter,  N.  H.  In 
relation  to  it,  Hosea  Hildreth,  professor  of  mathe- 
matics, addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  Shaw,  under  date 
of  June  19,  1811.  He  stated,  that  Mr.  Colburn 
would  soon  embark  for  Europe  with  his  son,  unless 
suitable  provision  could  be  made  to  render  it  unne- 
cessary. As  well  known,  the  embarkation  took 
place.  This  parent,  after  years  of  trial,  died  abroad, 
and  the  son  '  returned  in  1824,  to  his  native  State, 
and  became  a  preacher  of  the  Methodist  order. 
The  mind  of  the  latter,  which,  for  several  of  his 
earliest  years,  promised  astonishing  mathematical 
development,  disappointed  him  and  the  public  both 
here  and  in  England.  The  most  encouraging  pre- 
cocity, in  this  instance,  has  resulted  in  no  greater 
excellence,  than  common  talent  perseveringly  culti- 
vated. 

March  3.  From  Mr.  Shaw's  mother.  "I  heard 
that  you  were  sick  with  the  rheumatism.  If  it  is 
only  in  your  limbs,  to  keep  warm  and  promote  cir- 
culation by  flannel,  is  the  best  I  can  advise.  I  re- 
member reading  Cadogan's  Treatise  on  Chronic  Dis- 
orders. He  considered  rheumatism  as  arising  from 
three  causes,  sudden  colds,  intemperance,  peevish- 
ness or  anxiety  of  mind.  When  I  first  saw  the 
book,  I  was  just  recovering  from  a  long  confinement 
by  a  rheumatic  fever.  I  seized  the  book  with  de- 
light, hoping  I  should  find  some  catholicon  to  free 

1  He  published  a  memoir  of  himself  in  1833.  He  became  pro- 
fessor of  the  Latin,  Greek,  French  and  Spanish  languages  and  of 
English  classical  literature,  in  the  Norwich  University,  Vt.,  in  1835. 
He  died  March  2,  1840,  in  his  thirty-fifth  year. 


288  MEMORIALS    OF 

me  from  all  pain.  But  how  vexed  was  I  to  see  the 
two  latter  causes  specified.  As  I  read  on,  however, 
the  author  explained  intemperance  on  a  large  scale, 
as  excess  in  labor,  eating,  drinking,  sleeping  and 
watching.  I  forget  whether  he  mentioned  smoking. 
But  I  think  he  could  not  have  omitted  this  habit, 
which  so  enfeebles  the  system.  I  suppose,  there- 
fore, that  Cadogan  would  tell  us  to  avoid  the  occa- 
sions of  taking  cold,  never  eat  late  at  night,  be  care- 
ful in  all  our  regimen  ;  to  cultivate  true  magnanimity 
of  soul,  be  patient,  resigned  and  cheerful  under  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  life.  When  you  read  this,  I 
perceive  you  look  up  with  a  smile  and  say,  'Dear 
mother,  all  this  I  have  done  from  my  youth  up.' 
It  is  my  comfort  to  believe  you  have.  Still  it  is 
the  excellence  of  virtues,  that  they  may  be  contin- 
ually increasing.  It  should,  my  son,  be  your  reli- 
gious inquiry,  *  What  lack  I  yet  ? ' 

"  By  the  newspaper,  I  see  that  Mr.  John  Q,.  Adams 
has  had  a  unanimous  vote  for  the  office  of  Chief 
Justice.  I  am  pleased,  because  he  will  do  honor  to 
any  trust.  It  looks  as  though  the  public  knew  his 
worth,  and  were  convinced,  as  I  have  long  been,  of 
his  integrity.  I  have  heard  much  of  a  late  letter 
of  his  published  in  the  Patriot.  I  wish  that  I  could 
see  it  thus  printed." 

March  7.  From  Edward  J.  Cole  of  Baltimore. 
"Presuming  on  our  former  friendly  intercourse, 
while  you  resided  in  Philadelphia  and  I  read  law 
with  Mr.  Hopkinson,  I  take  the  liberty  to  trouble 
you  with  the  enclosed  prospectus.  Perhaps  you 
can  advise  me  as  to  the  best  mode  of  disposing  of 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  289 

a  part  of  the  edition  for  the  supply  of  your  town 
and  neighborhood,  and  if  you  have  leisure,  I  should 
be  still  more  indebted  to  you  for  the  information, 
or  (should  you  not  have  leisure)  for  your  advice  as 
to  the  best  source  of  obtaining  the  information  I 
want  for  the  work  respecting  Massachusetts,  such 
as  the  universities ;  ancient  and  other  societies ; 
libraries,  when  founded  ;  remarkable  buildings  and 
bridges,  when  erected  ;  turnpike  roads  ;  banks ; 
insurance  offices  ;  remarkable  events  which  have 
occurred  in  the  State,  etc. 

"  I  have  heard  from  time  to  time  much  concern- 
ing the  flourishing  state  of  the  Athenaeum,  and  it 
gives  me  pleasure  to  find  that  all  respect  and  ac- 
knowledgments are  directed  to  you  as  the  founder. 
I  have  long  contemplated  forwarding  a  number  of 
books  which  might  be  acceptable,  and  will  very 
soon  put  my  intentions  into  execution." 

May  23.  A  circular  is  sent  to  persons,  chosen 
trustees  of  a  fund  to  be  raised  for  erecting  a  monu- 
ment to  Washington,  in  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Shaw 
was  much  interested  in  this  enterprise,  and  was  one 
of  the  original  trustees. 

June  30.  From  Hugh  McCall,  Savannah,  Georgia. 
"  I  have  had  no  letter  from  you  since  I  left  Boston. 
I  have  forwarded  such  literary  matter,  relative  to 
Georgia,  as  you  wished.  If  not  valuable,  you  had 
the  will  for  the  deed.  Knowing  your  low  appre- 
ciation of  Georgia  literature,  I  commenced,  soon 
after  my  return  home,  writing  a  history  of  the 
State.  The  work  is  now  ready  for  the  press,  and 
will  come  forth  in  September.  It  will  commence 


290  MEMORIALS   OF 

with  the  first  settlement  and  come  down  to  1774, 
embracing  a  period  of  forty  years,  in  one  volume  of 
three  hundred  and  fifty  to  four  hundred  pages.  You 
will  think  it  strange,  no  doubt,  that  I  should  under- 
take to  write  a  book.  Without  jesting,  I  shall  feel 
great  diffidence  in  handing  the  productions  of  my 
pen  for  the  examination  and  criticism  of  the  world." 

July  13.  From  William  Cunningham,  Jr.  of 
Fitchburg.  "  In  a  conversation  we  had  in  Febru- 
ary of  1810,  concerning  a  correspondence  between 
Mr.  Adams  and  myself,  you  expressed  some  solici- 
tude, that  his  letters  might  not  be  used  to  his  dis- 
advantage. On  the  18th  of  last  April,  I  addressed 
him  a  letter,  in  which  I  mentioned  three  forms,  in 
one  of  which  the  letter  would  be  disposed  of,  after 
two  months  from  its  date,  should  it  be  answered. 
I  have  received  no  answer.  It  may  be  that  the 
letter  did  not  reach  Mr.  Adams,  and  it  is  possible 
that  an  answer  may  have  miscarried.  The  doubt 
which  hangs  on  these  two  points  has  determined 
me  to  acquaint  you,  that  I  am  now  transcribing  the 
letter  of  April  18th  for  the  press."  He  then  pro- 
ceeds to  express  himself  strongly  against  Mr.  Adams's 
strictures  on  Hamilton,  and  speaks  of  these,  as  com- 
municated to  him,  as  the  cause  of  the  preceding 
publication.  But  Mr.  Cunningham  evidently  mis- 
took the  result  of  the  pamphlet  he  issued.  This 
should  be  an  admonition  for  all  who  are  tempted  to 
expose  the  opinions  of  their  correspondents  who 
trust  in  their  friendship. 

Sept.  12.  A  letter  from  Col.  Paul  Revere  of 
Boston,  with  pieces  of  copper  coin,  which  were 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  291 

obtained  by  Capt.  Nathaniel  Haraden  in  1804,  from 
the  ruins  of  a  once  splendid  city,  called  Libeda, 
about  seventy  miles  from  Tripoli. 

Sept.  13.  From  Hugh  McCall,  Savannah,  Ga. 
"  This  letter  will  be  accompanied  with  my  pro- 
posals for  publishing  a  History  of  Georgia,  contain- 
ed in  the  first  sheet,  which  has  just  come  from  the 
press,  and  is  sent  to  you  as  a  specimen  of  the  paper 
and  type.  If  you  should  feel  disposed  to  patronize 
the  production  of  my  pen,  be  pleased  to  exhibit  the 
proposals  in  some  place  most  likely  to  procure  sub- 
scribers, and  make  known  to  me  the  result  on  the 
first  of  November,  as  the  books  will  be  ready  for 
delivery  early  in  that  month.  Six  hundred  copies 
are  already  subscribed  for,  and  I  have  only  made 
arrangements  for  one  thousand.  I  presume  my 
feelings  on  this  occasion  are  similar  to  those  of  a 
diffident  orator,  who  is  on  the  eve  of  delivering  his 
first  speech  before  an  enlightened  audience." 

Nov.  6.  From  William  Hunter  and  others  of 
Newport,  a  committee  of  the  Redwood  Library. 
They  state  that  this  institution  had  been  recently 
revived,  that  they  were  empowered  to  obtain  funds 
for  its  increase,  and  they  desire  the  co-operation  of 
Mr.  Shaw  for  this  object. 

1812,  January.  Mr.  Shaw  to  Obadiah  Rich.  "It 
is  with  no  ordinary  pleasure  that  I  transmit  to  you 
the  enclosed  votes,  passed  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  on  the  first 
Monday  of  January,  1812.  In  thus  complying 
with  this  duty,  I  should  do  injustice  to  the  feelings 
of  my  heart,  were  I  not  to  confess  to  you  my  many 


292  MEMORIALS    OF 

delightful  anticipations,  that  this  institution,  which 
I  most  dearly  cherish  arid  love,  will  be  increasingly 
useful  and  prosperous  ;  and  this  too,  in  part,  because 
you  have  considered  it  as  worthy  of  your  exertion. 
Permit  me  to  express  my  fervent  wish,  that  the 
contemplated  Cabinet  of  Natural  History,  under 
your  patronage  and  direction,  may  receive  a  liberal 
endowment." 

The  year,  so  commenced,  being  the  first  of  the 
war  with  Great  Britain,  was  one  of  great  discourage- 
ment, as  to  the  Athenaeum.  Of  six  established 
meetings  for  its  trustees,  but  one  had  a  quorum  for 
the  transaction  of  its  business.  At  this  critical 
juncture,  Mr.  Shaw  redoubled  his  diligence,  and 
necessarily  took  on  himself  almost  the  entire  super- 
intendence of  the  institution. 

April  11.  Among  Mr.  Shaw's  papers  is  an  in- 
genious letter  from  the  late  John  Davis,  judge  of 
Massachusetts  District  Court,  to  Rev.  Joseph  S. 
Buckminster,  on  the  subject  of  a  seal  for  the  Boston 
Athenaeum.  It  was  accompanied  with  a  drawing 
and  motto  of  the  seal. 

April  30.  From  Rev.  James  Abercrombie  of  Phil- 
adelphia. "  I  cannot  suffer  my  son-in-law  and 
daughter  to  visit  Boston,  without  giving  them  an 
introduction  to  you.  Your  polite  attentions  are 
essentially  necessary  to  the  comfort  and  happiness 
of  all  strangers  who  visit  Boston  and  its  vicinity. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrews  belong  to  the  class  of  in- 
quisitive travelers,  and  will  therefore  wish  to  see 
the  Athenaeum  and  all  the  wonderful  notions  of 
your  town."  The  writer,  indulging  his  vein  of 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  293 

humor,  proceeds.  "  In  the  late  eruption  of  Mount 
uEtna,  a  petrified  foot  was  thrown  out,  which,  to 
the  inexpressible  astonishment  and  rapturous  delight 
of  the  antiquarians  of  Europe,  is  ascertained,  by 
certain  corns  and  other  excrescences,  to  be  the  foot 
of  Empedocles.  I  indulge  '  high  blown  hopes  '  of 
obtaining  one  of  the  said  corns,  through  the  interest 
of  an  arch  antiquary,  who  has  enjoyed  the  high 
privilege  and  felicity  of  seeing,  feeling  and  smelling 
the  foot.  I  shall  give  you  the  earliest  intelligence 
of  the  corn's  arrival,  that  you  may  start,  prima  luce, 
in  the  expedition  to  see,  feel  and  smell  it  also.  I 
fear  nothing  short  of  such  an  object  will  ever  in- 
duce you  to  visit  Philadelphia." 

June  16.  A  communication  from  Dr.  J.  Gorham, 
giving  the  details  of  a  post  mortem  examination  of 
Rev.  Joseph  S.  Buckminster. 

August  25.  From  Mr.  Shaw's  mother.  "  You 
know  that  I  am  a  sincere  mourner,  when  the  good 
and  the  intelligent  are  taken  from  the  earth.  Such 
was  your  beloved  friend,  the  youthful  and  worthy 
Buckminster.  With  you  I  condole,  as  an  individ- 
ual ;  with  his  church,  who  are  bereaved  of  a  dis- 
tinguished luminary  ;  and  with  his  two  amiable 
sisters,  who  have  thus  sustained  a  loss  additional 
to  that  of  their  much-loved  mother  and  father. 
Friend  after  friend,  my  dear  son,  is  severed  from 
your  heart.  May  you  meditate  thereon,  and  learn 
to  consider  your  own  frailty." 

Nov.  3.  As  an  original  member  of  the  American 
Antiquarian  Society,  Mr.  Shaw  is  notified  of  their 
first  meeting. 

26 


294  MEMORIALS   OF 

1813,  Jan.  19.  From  Josiah  Q,uincy  at  Wash- 
ington. He  desired  that  his  remarks  in  Congress, 
which  had  been  replied  to  hy  Mr.  Clay,  and  mis- 
represented by  various  editors,  might  be  printed 
in  a  pamphlet  in  Boston,  under  the  care  of  Mr. 
Shaw. 

Jan.  26.  Prom  a  young  man  in  New  York.  "  In 
an  hour  when  I  might  have  looked  around  in  vain 
for  a  single  smile  of  encouragement  or  favor  ;  when 
I  seemed  to  stand  alone  in  the  world,  and  knew  not 
which  way  to  turn  for  aid,  you  affectionately  took 
me  by  the  hand,  and  proffered  me,  unsolicited,  your 
friendship,  and  poured  into  my  sonl  the  balm  of  joy. 
How  trifling  are  the  returns  which  I  can  make  you, 
in  comparison  with  what  I  have  received." 

June  5.  Extracts  from  John  Adams's  letter  to 
William  Tudor,  and  preserved  by  Mr.  Shaw,  follow. 
"You  'never  profoundly  admired  Mr.  H.'  I  have 
suggested  some  hints  in  his  favor.  You  l  never 
profoundly  admired  Mr.  S.  A.'  I  have  promised 
you  an  apology  for  him.  You  may  think  it  a  weak 
one  j  for  I  have  no  talent,  at  panegyric  or  apology. 
1  There  are  all  sorts  of  men  in  the  world.'  This 
observation,  you  may  say,  is  self-evident  and  futile ; 
yet  Mr.  Locke  thought  it  not  unworthy  of  him  to 
make  it ;  and  if  we  reflect  upon  it,  there  is  more 
meaning  in  it  than  meets  the  eye  at  the  first 
blush.  You  say  Mr.  S.  A.  l  had  too  much  sternness 
and  pious  bigotry.'  A  man  in  his  situation  and 
circumstances  must  possess  a  large  fund  of  stern- 
ness of  stuff,  or  he  will  soon  be  annihilated.  His 
piety  ought  not  to  be  objected  to  him  or  any  other 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  295 

man.  His  bigotry,  if  he  had  any,  was  a  fault ;  but 
he  certainly  had  not  more  than  governor  Hutchin- 
son  and  secretary  Oliver,  who  I  know,  from  per- 
sonal conversations,  were  as  stanch  Trinitarians  and 
Calvinists  as  he  was,  and  treated  all  Arians  and 
Arminians  with  more  contempt  and  scorn,  than  he 
ever  did.  Mr.  Adams  lived  and  conversed  freely 
with  all  sectarians  in  philosophy  and  divinity.  He 
never  imposed  his  creed  on  any  one,  nor  endeavored 
to  make  proselytes  to  his  religious  opinions.  He 
was  as  far  from  sentencing  any  man  to  perdition 
who  differed  from  him,  as  Mr.  Holley,  Dr.  Kirkland, 
or  Dr.  Freeman.  If  he  was  a  Calvinist,  a  Calvinist 
he  had  been  educated,  and  so  had  been  all  his 
ancestors  for  two  hundred  years.  He  had  been 
from  his  childhood  too  much  devoted  to  politics  to 
be  a  profound  student  in  metaphysics  and  theology, 
or  to  make  extensive  researches  or  deep  investiga- 
tions into  such  subjects.  Nor  had  any  other  man 
attempted  it  in  this  nation  in  that  age,  if  any  one 
has  attempted  it  since.  Mr.  Adams  was  an  original. 
jSui  generis,  sui  juris.  The  variety  of  human 
characters  is  infinite.  Nature  seems  to  delight  in 
showing  the  inexhaustibility  of  her  resources. 
There  never  were  two  men  alike,  from  the  first 
man  to  the  last,  any  more  than  two  pebbles  or  two 
peas. 

"  Mr.  Adams  was  born  and  tempered  a  wedge  of 
steel,  to  split  the  knot  of  lignum  vitse  which  tied 
North  America  to  Great  Britain.  Blunderheaded  as 
were  the  British  ministry,  they  had  sagacity  enough 
to  discriminate  from  all  others,  for  inexorable  ven- 


296  MEMORIALS   OF 

geance,  the  two  men  the  most  to  be  dreaded  by 
them,  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock  ;  and  had 
not  James  Otis  been  then  dead,  or  worse  than  dead, 
his  name  would  have  been  at  the  head  of  THE 
TRIUMVIRATE. 

"  James  Otis,  Samuel  Adams,  and  John  Hancock, 
were  the  three  most  essential  characters  j  and  Great 
Britain  knew  it,  though  America  does  not.  Great 
and  important  and  excellent  characters,  aroused  and 
excited  by  these,  arose  in  Pennsylvania,  Virginia, 
New  York,  South  Carolina,  and  in  all  the  other 
States;  but  these  three  were  the  first  movers,  the 
most  constant,  steady,  persevering  springs,  agents, 
and  most  disinterested  sufferers  and  firmest  pillars 
of  the  whole  Revolution. 

"  I  shall  not  attempt  even  to  draw  the  outlines  of 
the  biography  of  Mr.  Samuel  Adams.  Who  can 
attempt  it  ? 

"  But  if  I  had  time,  eyes  and  fingers  at  my  com- 
mand, where  should  T  find  documents  and  memo- 
rials ?  Without  the  character  of  Samuel  Adams, 
the  true  history  of  the  American  Revolution  can 
never  be  written.  For  fifty  years  his  pen,  his 
tongue,  his  activity  were  constantly  exerted  for  his 
country,  without  fee  or  reward.  During  all  that 
time  he  was  an  almost  incessant  writer.  But  where 
are  his  writings  ?  Who  can  collect  them  ?  And  if 
collected,  who  will  ever  read  them?  The  letters 
he  wrote  and  received,  where  are  they  ?  I  have 
seen  him  at  Mrs.  Yard's  in  Philadelphia,  when  he 
was  about  to  leave  Congress,  cut  up  with  his 
scissors  whole  bundles  of  letters,  into  atoms  that 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  297 

could  never  be  reunited,  and  throw  them  out  at  the 
window,  to  be  scattered  by  the  winds.  This  was 
in  summer,  when  he  had  no  fire.  In  winter  he 
threw  whole  handfuls  into  the  fire.  As  we  were 
on  terms  of  perfect  intimacy,  I  have  joked  him, 
perhaps  rudely,  upon  his  anxious  caution.  His 
answer  was,  c  Whatever  becomes  of  me,  my  friends 
shall  never  suffer  by  my  negligence.' 

"  This  may  be  thought  a  less  significant  anecdote 
than  another.  Mr.  Adams  left  the  letters  he  had 
received  and  preserved,  in  possession  of  his  widow. 
This  lady,  as  was  natural,  lent  them  to  a  confiden- 
tial friend  of  her  husband,  Mr.  Avery,  who  then 
was  and  had  been  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth 
under  the  administrations  of  Mr.  Adams  and  Mr. 
Hancock.  Mr.  Avery  informed  me  that  '  he  had 
them,  and  that  they  were  a  complete  history  of  the 
Revolution.'  I  will  not  say  into  whose  hands  they 
fell  after  Mr.  Avery's  death,  and  I  cannot  say  where 
they  are  now.  But  I  have  heard  that  a  gentleman 
in  Charlestown,  Mr.  Austin,  undertook  to  write  the 
Life  of  Mr.  Adams ;  but  finding  his  papers  had 
been  so  garbled  that  the  truth  could  not  be  dis- 
covered, he  abandoned  his  design.  Never  will 
those  letters  which  secretary  Avery  possessed  ever 
be  brought  together  again,  nor  will  they  ever  be 
found.  So  much  for  Mr.  Adams,  at  present,  Now 
for  Mr.  Otis. 

"  I  write  no  biographies  or  biographical  sketches. 

I  give  only  hints.     James  Otis  was  descended  from 

our  most  ancient  families.     His  education  was  the 

best  his  country  afforded.     He  was  bred  to  the  bar 

26* 


298  MEMORIALS    OF 

under  Mr.  Gridley,  the  greatest  lawyer  and  the 
greatest  classic  scholar  I  ever  knew  at  any  bar. 
His  application  was  incessant  and  indefatigable. 
Justice  Richard  Dana  has  often  told  me,  that  the 
apartment  in  which  Otis  studied,  when  a  pupil  and 
a  clerk  of  Mr.  Gridley,  was  near  his  house ;  that  he 
had  watched  him  from  day  to  day,  and  that  he  had 
never  known  a  student  in  law  so  punctual,  so  steady, 
so  constant  arid  persevering.  Accordingly,  as  soon 
as  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  became  a  con- 
spicuous figure.  And  among  whom  ?  Gridley, 
Pratt,  Trowbridge,  and  he  was  much  admired,  and 
as  much  celebrated  as  any  of  them.  His  generous, 
manly,  noble  character  as  a  private  gentleman,  his 
uncommon  attainments  in  literature,  especially  in 
the  law,  and  his  nervous,  commanding  eloquence  at 
the  bar,  were  every  where  spoken  of.  The  govern- 
ment soon  discerned  his  superiority,  and  commis- 
sioned him  Advocate  General.  He  married  a  lady 
who  in  that  day  was  esteemed  a  fortune.  From 
1755  to  1758,  I  heard  my  master,  Colonel  James 
Putnam  of  Worcester,  who  was  a  critical  judge, 
and  Mr.  Trowbridge,  the  then  attorney  general, 
and  his  lady,  constantly  speaking  of  Otis  as  the 
greatest,  the  most  learned,  the  most  manly  and  the 
most  honest  young  man  of  his  age.  All  this  was 
before  I  had  ever  seen  Mr.  Otis.  I  never  saw  him 
till  late  in  the  autumn  of  1758,  nor  Mr.  Samuel 
Adams  till  after  that  year. 

"  To  sum  up,  in  a  few  words.  The  two  young 
men  whom  I  have  known  to  enter  the  stage  of  life 
with  the  most  luminous,  unclouded  prospects  and 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  299 

the  best  founded  hopes,  were  James  Otis  and  John 
Hancock.  They  were  both  essential  to  the  Revo- 
lution, and  both  fell  sacrifices  to  it. 

"  Mr.  Otis,  from  1760  to  1770,  had  correspon- 
dences in  this  province,  in  New  England,  in  the 
middle  and  southern  Colonies,  in  England,  in  Scot- 
land. What  is  become  of  these  letters  and  an- 
swers ?  Mr.  Otis,  soon  after  my  earliest  acquaintance 
with  him,  lent  me  a  summary  of  Greek  Prosody 
of  his  own  collection  and  composition  ;  a  work  of 
profound  learning  and  great  labor.  I  had  it  six 
months  in  my  possession  before  I  returned  it.  Since 
my  return  from  Europe,  I  asked  his  daughter 
whether  she  had  found  that  work  among  her  father's 
manuscripts  ?  She  answered  me  with  a  counte- 
nance of  wo,  that  you  may  more  easily  imagine 
than  I  can  describe,  that  she  '  had  not  a  line  from 
her  father's  pen  !  '  That  '  he  had  spent  much  time 
and  taken  great  pains  to  collect  together  all  his 
letters  and  other  papers,  and  in  one  of  his  unhappy 
moments  committed  them  all  to  the  flames.'  I 
have  used  her  own  expressions. 

"Such  has  been  the  fate  of  the  memorials  of 
Mr.  James  Otis  and  Mr.  Samuel  Adams.  It  was  not 
without  reason,  then,  that  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Niles  of 
Baltimore,  that  the  true  history  of  the  American 
Revolution  is  lost  forever.  I  could  write  volumes 
of  other  proofs  of  the  same  truth,  before,  during, 
and  since  the  Revolution.  But,  cui  bono  ?  They 
would  be  read  by  very  few,  and  by  very  few  of 
those  few  would  be  credited." 

July  19.  From  Nathaniel  Lord,  3d,  of  Ipswich. 


300  MEMORIALS  OF 

His  proposal  for  "a  new  edition  of  the  Alphabetical 
Catalogue  of  Graduates  at  Harvard  University." 

August  24.  Prom  John  Adams  of  Quincy. 
"  Judge  Vanderkemp  needs  no  recommendation  to 
you.  If  your  health  and  official  duties  will  admit 
of  your  coming  with  him,  you  know  that  you  both 
will  be  received  with  open  arms.  If  I  have  not 
been  in  a  delusion  for  more  than  thirty  years,  he  is 
a  salt  mountain,  i.  e.,  of  the  salt  of  the  earth.  I 
have  said  to  him,  that  my  only  fear  is,  that  you 
Bostonians  will  kill  him  with  kindness,  as  the  Paris- 
ians did  Voltaire." 

Oct.  2*6.  Mr.  Shaw  has  notice  of  his  being  elected 
an  honorary  member  of  the  New  York  Historical 
Society. 

Dec.  13.  From  Jonathan  Russell  at  Meridon. 
He  speaks  of  his  correspondence  with  J.  Q,.  Adams, 
and  of  sending  to  Mr.  Shaw  the  letter  from  Mr. 
Adams  mentioned  under  date  of  November  7,  in  the 
last  year. 

1814,  January  1.  From  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchell 
of  New  York.  "  I  beg  you  to  place  in  the  Boston 
Athenaeum,  my  commencement  of  the  description 
and  classification  of  the  fishes  of  New  York.  The 
Boston  market  has  long  been  celebrated  for  its  ani- 
mals of  the  same  class.  It  would  gratify  me  ex- 
ceedingly to  know  distinctly  what  they  are.  With 
the  hope  of  gaining  this  information,  I  herewith 
send  you  a  bunch  of  those  caught  in  this  vicinity. 
It  consists  of  about  seventy  sorts,  fifty-four  of 
which  are  good  for  human  food.  Fifty  have  been 
described  by  myself  from  fresh  specimens,  and  forty 


WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW.  301 

of  them  are  unknown  to  the  systematic  compilers 
of  Europe.  A  few  copies  only  have  been  printed, 
at  my  expense,  for  distribution  to  the  worthy.  Ad- 
ditional specimens  are  almost  daily  coming  to  hand. 
Should  I  authorize  a  new  edition,  there  are  many 
additions  ready  to  be  made  to  it.  In  the  course  of 
the  current  year,  I  hope  to  render  it  as  correct  and 
complete  as  possible.  Will  you,  or  some  zoologist 
of  Massachusetts,  go  through  the  finny  tribes  of 
your  waters,  as  I  have  done  and  continue  to  do 
here  ? " 

Jan.  8.  Prom  Henry  Channing,  of  New  London, 
Conn.  "  The  statement  given  in  the  Gazette  of 
this  city,  respecting  lights  exhibited  near  the  en- 
trance of  this  harbor,  on  the  heights,  as  signals  to 
the  enemy,  on  Monday  night,  December  12th,  when 
the  report  prevailed,  that  our  squadron  would  put 
to  sea  before  morning,  is  correct.  Com.  Decatur,  in 
his  communication  to  the  navy  department,  says 
twenty.  He  told  me,  that  his  officers  calculated 
forty  or  fifty,  but  that  he  wished  to  be  far  within 
bounds  in  the  number  given."  Mr.  Channing  re- 
marked, that  federalist  as  well  as  democratic  presses 
should  denounce  such  treason. 

Feb.  19.  Prom  Samuel  Ewing  of  Philadelphia. 
"  We  have  just  associated  together  to  establish  an 
athenaeum  or  reading-room  in  our  city.  I  have  been 
appointed  one  of  the  managers.  It  is  our  wish  to 
be  guided  by  the  experience  of  those  who  have 
gone  before  us.  I  do  not  know  of  any  one,  to 
whom  we  could  apply  with  better  hopes  than  your- 
self. I  am  sure  there  is  no  one  who  feels  more  zeal 


302  WILLIAM   SMITH   SHAW. 

in  the  cause  of  letters  than  yourself.  I  have  pre- 
sumed on  our  former  intimacy  to  address  myself  to 
you,  for  such  information  as  may  enable  us  to  carry 
our  object  into  execution." 

Feb.  27.  From  A.  W.  Atherton  of  Portland. 
"  We  are  contemplating  to  establish  in  this  town 
an  institution  like  your  Boston  Athenaeum.  Know- 
ing your  zeal  and  willingness  to  contribute  to  the 
general  dissemination  of  useful  knowledge,  I  may 
venture,  without  an  apology,  to  request  your  answer 
to  the  following  questions."  These  relate  to  con- 
cerns, which  readily  present  themselves  to  the  mind 
in  connection  with  the  subject. 

March.  In  the  report  of  a  committee  for  exam- 
ining the  library  of  the  Athenaeum,  they  say,  that 
"to  the  exertions  of  the  librarian,  (Mr.  Shaw,)  are 
in  a  great  measure,  owing  the  great  value  and  flour- 
ishing state  of  the  institution." 

March  29.  From  William  Tudor,  Jr.,  London. 
He  remarks  on  the  death  of  William  Scollay  of 
Boston,  in  the  East  Indies.  "  He  is  a  loss  not  only 
to  his  family,  but  to  his  country,  for  he  possessed 
talents  that  would  have,  sooner  or  later,  distin- 
guished him." 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

Governesses — American  Speeches — Linngean  Society — Pitkin's  Sta- 
tistics—Cyclopaedia— North.  American  Review — Coins— Institu- 
tion for  Deaf  and  Dumb  —  Curiosities  —  Prejudice  against  the 
North— Lexington,  Ky. — Belsham— Expedition  for  the  Niger — 
Greek  Newspaper  —  Artiguenave  —  Minutes  of  John  Adams's- 
Life— Invitation  of  Campbell — Imputations  of  Plagiarism — Per- 
kins's Tractors — Webster's  Publications — Preference  to  Foreign 
Books— Sea  Serpent— Portrait  by  Stuart— Beneficence— Close  of 
Life. 

1814,  May  1.  From  B.  P.  Barrett,  dated  in  Wash- 
ington. He  vindicates  himself,  as  an  officer,  against 
the  charge  of  cowardice  at  Ormstown,  October  26, 
1813. 

May  27.  From  George  Jefferys  in  Boston.  He 
desired  a  loan  to  supply  his  necessities.  He  had 
been  in  this  country  near  four  years.  He  had  a  son 
with  him.  He  states,  "My  eldest  son  is  now  out 
of  his  time,  and  clerk  in  one  of  the  first  merchants7 
houses  in  London,  Messrs.  Cook,  Prince  &,  Co.  My 
two  eldest  daughters  are  superintending  the  educa- 
tion of  children.  The  one  with  a  branch  of  the 
Duke  of  Argyle's  family  and  the  other  in  the  Earl 
of  Kingston's,  where  they  have  been  four  years. 
During  that  time,  they  have  assisted  my  son.  After 
Christmas,  the  time  they  receive  their  income,  they 
will  make  me  a  remittance  of  a  few  hundred 
dollars." 


304  MEMORIALS  OF 

August  4.  From  the  same  person.  "  Accept  my 
grateful  acknowledgments  for  the  favor  of  employ- 
ing me,  and  for  a  recent  instance  of  your  kindness, 
which  has  rendered  me  very  essential  service." 

Sept.  12.  From  John  B.  Bowen  of  Philadelphia. 
"  Mr.  S.  C.  Carpenter,  of  this  city,  is  about  publish- 
ing an  edition  of  American  Speeches  of  the  Bar 
and  Senate,  and  not  having  the  pleasure  of  your 
acquaintance,  he  requested  me  to  write  to  you  to 
beg  the  favor  of  you  to  send  him  any  rare  and  cu- 
rious speeches  that  you  may  be  in  possession  of, 
and  that  may  come  within  the  scope  of  his  work. 
He  wishes  particularly  to  procure  the  speeches  of 
Mr.  Adams  and  Mr.  Q,uincy  on  the  trial  of  Preston 
in  1770,  and  if  you  have  any  speeches  of  Mr.  Gris- 
wold  of  Connecticut,  he  will  thank  you  for  them. 
Mr.  Carpenter  was  formerly  editor  of  the  Charles- 
ton Courier,  and  of  a  Review  published  there, 
and  of  many  other  literary  works  published  in  the 
United  States." 

Sept.  14.  From  John  Brazer  in  Dorchester.  As 
he  had  been  invited,  through  Mr.  Shaw,  to  become 
the  tutor  of  the  children  of  "  His  Excellency,  Mr. 
Chenquion,"  he  desires  explanation  of  the  duties 
expected  of  him. 

Dec.  26.  A  printed  circular  from  Rev.  J.  T.  Kirk- 
land  is  addressed  to  Mr.  Shaw.  It  relates  to  pub- 
lishing a  periodical,  afterwards  called  the  North 
American  Review.  Of  this  work,  which  began  to 
be  issued  the  next  year,  Mr.  Shaw  was  an  eminent 
supporter  and  promoter. 

The    Lirmasan    Society,    which    lasted    several 


WILLIA.M    SMITH    SHAW.  305 

years,  and  imparted  a  stimulus  to  the  study  and  col- 
lections of  natural  history,  commenced  its  active 
operations  as  soon  as  this  year.  They  elected  Mr. 
Shaw  for  their  vice  president.  He  contributed 
bountifully  towards  the  purchasing  of  their  costly 
specimens  of  the  animal  kingdom.  They  finally 
gave  their  collections  to  Harvard  College,  so  that 
they  might  still  aid  to  advance  the  same  object. 

1815,  Feb.  25.  Among  the  papers  of  Mr.  Shaw,  is 
one  which  contains  a  proposal  for  steps  to  be  taken 
towards  the  purchase  of  land  and  the  erection  of  a 
fire-proof  building  to  contain  the  libraries,  etc.  of 
the  Agricultural  Society,  the  American  Academy  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  Boston  Athenaeum,  Massachu- 
setts Historical  Society,  and  the  Linnean  Society. 

March  20.  From  Timothy  Pitkin  at  Farming- 
ton,  Conn.  "  The  return  of  peace  was  thought  a 
favorable  time  for  the  publication  of  the  statistical 
work,  which  I  mentioned  to  you  in  Boston  last 
summer,  and  for  the  publication  of  which,  I  now 
enclose  you  one  of  my  proposals.  I  shall  be  happy 
to  receive  any  suggestions  you  may  think  proper  to 
make,  in  furtherance  of  the  objects  contemplated, 
or  others  connected  with  them."  This  useful  work 
was  published. 

May  1.  Mr.  Shaw  contributes  towards  the  Asylum 
for  Indigent  Boys,  which  he  continued  for  several 
years. 

Oct.  2.     Samuel   F.   Bradford,    of  Philadelphia,, 
sends  Mr.  Shaw  a  circular.     This  stated,  that  owing 
to  severe  losses,  he  was  obliged,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  year,  to  suspend  the  publication  of  Rees's- 
27 


306  MEMORIALS   OP 

Cyclopaedia ;  that  some  of  the  back  volumes  were 
burnt  by  the  British  at  Frenchtown  j  that  the 
second  part  of  the  twenty-fifth  volume  would  be 
issued  from  the  press  about  the  first  of  November; 
and  that  each  half  volume,  which  was  fixed,  eleven 
years  before,  at  three  dollars,  would  be  raised  to 
four  dollars. 

Oct.  6.  From  John  W.  Stark  at  Calcutta.  He 
introduces,  by  letter,  Dr.  N.  Wallich,  superintendent 
of  the  botanical  garden  in  Bengal,  to  Mr.  Shaw,  as 
secretary  of  the  Linnoean  Society.  He  remarks  of 
the  Doctor,  "  who  is  desirous  of  extending  the  ben- 
efits of  the  garden  to  our  country,  as  he  will  him- 
self write  you.  I  am  taking  some  plants,  etc.  from 
him  for  you,  which  I  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of 
presenting  in  a  few  months." 

'  Oct.  9.  The  Doctor's  letter  contains  the  following 
extracts.  "  I  have  made  up  a  small  box  of  living 
plants  and  a  parcel  of  seeds.  My  situation  renders 
it  incumbent  on  me  to  request  that  you  will  do  me 
the  honor  to  offer  my  humble  services  to  the  Lin- 
naean  Society  of  Boston.  The  happy  conclusion 
of  the  war,  and  the  consequent  communications  be- 
tween this  country  and  America,  will  afford  me 
ample  opportunities  of  presenting  to  your  Society 
rich  East  India  plants.  Any  additions  to  the  collec- 
tions of  this  garden,  which  your  Society  may  please 
to  send,  will  be  received  with  gratitude." 

Oct.  12.  From  John  Lowell  at  Roxbury.  After 
stating  that  he  had  declined  to  accept  his  election, 
as  a  member  of  the  Linnaean  Society,  he  proceeds  : 
"I  hope  this  refusal  will  not  be  construed  into  an 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  307 

indifference  for  your  Society.  Never  had  any  insti- 
tution in  our  country  so  entirely  my  good  wishes. 
I  hailed  it  as  the  means  of  promoting  natural 
science,  which  has  been  too  much  neglected.  I 
am  ready  to  co-operate  in  measures  for  its  success." 
He  then  suggests  the  course,  which  he  judged  best 
for  such  an  object. 

Nov.  14.  Prom  John  Cooke  of  Albany.  "  I  have 
taken  the  liberty  to  inform  you,  that  I  intend  to  ap- 
ply, at  the  next  session  of  Congress,  by  petitions, 
for  a  remission  of  the  postage  on  newspapers  and 
pamphlets,  to  all  literary  institutions,  which  may 
have  a  room  connected  therewith  for  the  reception 
of  such  publications,  in  the  same  manner  as  printers 
of  papers  have.  I  have  spoken  to  several  members 
of  Congress  on  the  subject.  They  are  of  the  opin- 
ion that  the  request  is  reasonable,  and  think  there 
can  be  no  objection  to  its  being  granted.  To  further 
the  object,  I  beg  you  to  use  your  influence  with 
some  of  the  members  from  your  quarter." 

Dec.  7.  Among  the  applications  to  Mr.  Shaw,  as 
clerk  of  the  district  court,  for  copy-rights,  was  one 
of  singular  style,  from  Erastus  Brown  of  Stock- 
bridge.  It  ran  thus  :  "  I  wish  to  secure  to  myself 
the  copy-right  of  a  book,  which  I  claim  as  author 
and  proprietor,  by  the  following  title,  viz.,  The 
Trial  of  Cain,  the  first  murderer,  in  poetry,  by  rule 
of  court,  in  which  a  Predestinarian,  a  Universalist 
and  an  Armenian  argue  as  attorneys  at  the  bar  ; 
the  two  former  as  the  prisoner's  counsel,  the  latter 
as  attorney  general  ;  succeeded  by  hymns  and  spir- 
itual songs,  the  measures  of  which  are  adapted  to 


308  MEMORIALS   OF 

some  very  pleasing  and  harmonious  tunes,  calculated 
for  the  entertainment  of  youth  and  other  serious- 
minded  persons.  Composed  by  Erastus  Brown. 
'  Prove  all  things,  and  hold  fast  that  which  is  good.' 
St.  Paul." 

1816,  April  25.  From  Jonathan  Goodhue  of 
New  York.  "  Happening  to  mention  to  John  G. 
Bogert,  Esq.,  of  this  city,  the  exertions  you  were 
making  in  collecting  a  cabinet  of  coins,  and  the 
promise  I  had  made  you  of  rendering  you  any 
services  which  might  be  in  my  power,  he  was  so 
obliging  as  to  say  that  he  should  offer  you  with 
pleasure  any  such  coins  as  he  possessed  in  duplicate, 
and  he  will  accordingly  lay  them  aside  to  hand  to 
me,  when  I  shall  be  gratified  in  forwarding  them 
to  you. 

"  Mr.  Bogert  is  a  gentleman  of  taste  and  science, 
and  has  possessed  himself  of  a  collection  of  rare 
and  valuable  coins,  probably  far  more  extensive 
than  any  other  in  this  country.  I  have  ventured 
to  assure  him  that  you  will  take  pleasure  in  return- 
ing the  favors  he  shall  bestow,  as  far  as  may  be  in 
your  power  ;  and  as  I  doubt  not  the  acquaintance 
will  lead  to  reciprocal  services,  and  be  mutually 
agreeable,  so  I  have  been  induced  to  offer  him  this 
introduction  and  to  recommend  him  to  your  atten- 
tion and  friendship." 

Aug.  6.  From  N.  Rickman,  Isle  of  France. 
After  mentioning  that  he  sends  him  two  baskets  of 
beautiful  coral  plants,  he  closes,  "I  embrace  this 
occasion  to  renew  our  former  acquaintance,  and  to 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  309 

thank  you  sincerely  for  your  civilities  when  I  was 
in  Boston." 

Aug.  26.  Prom  Garritt  Storm  in  New  York.  "  I 
have  herewith  the  pleasure  to  enclose  to  you  speci- 
mens of  the  notes  used  here  as  a  substitute  for 
small  change.  I  delivered  your  letter  to  Mr.  Lyman 
of  Northampton,  where  I  staid  one  day,  and  received 
from  him  every  civility  I  could  expect." 

Aug.  31.  From  Charles  Sigourney  of  Hartford. 
<{  I  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  your  ac- 
quaintance Mr.  Laurent  Clerc,  recently  from  France, 
and  one  of  the  instructors  from  the  Abbe  Sicard's 
school  for  the  deaf  and  dumb,  being  himself  deaf 
and  dumb.  Mr.  C.  goes  to  Boston,  accompanied 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gallaudet  and  Dr.  Cogswell,  on 
business  relating  to  the  contemplated  institution  for 
educating  the  deaf  and  dumb,  in  this  place,  and 
with  which  you  will  be  made  acquainted.  You 
will  find  Mr.  C.,  in  particular,  a  very  interesting 
acquaintance,  and  exhibiting,  in  himself,  a  striking 
illustration  of  the  practicability  and  importance  of 
his  system  of  instruction.  The  gentlemen  will  all 
be  gratified  with  an  introduction  to  the  Athenaeum, 
which  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  give  them. 
And  if  you  will  interest  yourself  in  promoting  the 
successful  issue  of  their  mission,  you  will  aid  the 
cause  of  humanity,  and  confer  a  personal  obligation 
on  the  gentlemen  who,  in  this  State,  have  been  the 
promoters  of  the  benevolent  charity  they  are  de- 
sirous of  carrying  into  effect." 

Nov.  5.  James  Hamilton,  from  Philadelphia,  ac- 
companies a  letter  with  a  medal  of  Lord  Wellington, 
27* 


310  MEMORIALS    OF 

called  "  The  Record  of  British  Valor,"  for  Mr. 
Shaw. 

1817,  January  1.  From  Thomas  Cook  in  Edgar- 
town.  "  For  your  cabinet  of  curiosities,  I  have 
sent  you  the  tail  and  sword  of  a  sword-fish,  which 
was  caught  on  Nantucket  Shoals." 

Jan.  27.  From  Thomas  Clement  at  Dorchester. 
During  his  last  visit  to  Europe,  he  collected  various 
mineral  and  other  curiosities,  which  he  sends  to 
Mr.  Shaw.  Among  them  were  specimens  of  zinc. 
He  states  that  the  only  manufactory  of  it  for  roofs, 
ships  and  kitchen  utensils,  was  at  Liege.  As  well 
known,  this  article  has  since  been  discovered  in  our 
country,  manufactured  for  different  uses,  and  exten- 
sively used.  Another  present  was  a  "  croix  d' 
honeur,"  taken  from  a  French  officer,  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Waterloo,  and  purchased  of  the  peasant 
who  inhabits  the  house  of  "  la  belle  alliance." 

Feb.  6.  From  William  H.  Simmer  in  Washing- 
ton. "  So  strong  is  the  Western  interest  here,  that 
till  lately  I  have  thought  that  Mr.  Clay  would  be 
Secretary  of  State.  He  has  been  offered  the  War 
department  twice,  and  has  declined  that.  ('Tis 
said  this  department  has  also  been  offered  to  Mr. 
Lowndes.)  This  shows  that  Mr.  Clay  either  looks 
to  a  higher  place  in  the  administration,  or  that  he 
does  not  incline  to  become  a  member  of  the  cabinet 
with  Mr.  Adams,  who  will  most  probably  have  the 
chair  of  state.  The  fact  is,  that  there  is  here,  the 
most  extreme  jealousy,  or  else  hatred,  of  any  thing 
that  is  Northern.  They  think  our  notions  are  too 
local  and  our  conduct  always  selfish,  and  these 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  311 

passions  do  not  discover  themselves  as  applicable  to 
federalists  only,  but  to  the  whole  country  and 
people." 

Feb.  9.  From  C.  Savage  in  Lexington,  Ky.  He 
states,  that  an  Athenaeum  was  forming  there,  and 
he  desires  the  advice  of  Mr.  Shaw  as  to  the  man- 
agement of  such  an  institution.  For  a  comparison, 
either  present  or  future,  of  Lexington  with  what  it 
was  when  Mr.  Savage  wrote,  the  following  ex- 
tract is  given.  "  It  has  about  an  eighth  of  the 
population  of  Boston.  Its  houses  are  brick,  gener- 
ally well  built.  The  streets  are  commonly  paved, 
with  trees  on  one  or  both  sides  of  the  principal  ones. 
It  has  five  houses  for  public  worship,  a  college,  not 
yet  in  operation,  a  theatre,  court  house,  jail,  and  a 
large  number  of  smart  shops.  There  are  allowed 
to  be  one  hundred  and  twenty  private  coaches  be- 
longing to  Lexington." 

Feb.  18.  A  letter  from  Charles  Folsom,  on  board 
the  United  States  ship  Washington,  in  Gibraltar  Bay. 
It  is  accompanied  with  a  box  containing  specimens 
in  natural  history  for  the  Linnsean  Society.  He  re- 
marks :  "  This  is  the  third  time  I  have  troubled  you 
in  this  way  ;  but  I  have  done  so,  presuming  on 
your  well  known  disposition  to  aid  all  endeavors, 
however  small,  to  advance  the  cause  of  science  in 
our  country.  What  I  am  able  to  contribute  to  this 
end  is  certainly  very  inconsiderable  j  but  '  non  sunt 
contemnenda  quasi  parva,  sine  quibus  constare 
magna  non  possunt.'  "  Of  the  valuable  collection 
a  few  will  be  named.  Shells  from  the  Bay  of 
Naples,  procured  of  Neapolitan  fishermen  ;  speci- 


312  MEMORIALS  OF 

mens  of  the  rock  of  Gibraltar  and  of  spar  from  the 
celebrated  St.  Michael's  cave  ;  lava  collected  on  the 
summit  of  Vesuvius  and  Mount  JCtna ;  pieces  of 
marble  purchased  of  a  man  "  who  lives  by  going  to 
Pompeii,  Pozzuoli,  Baiae,  etc.,  collecting  beautiful 
fragments  among  the  ruins  and  working  them  into 
snuff  boxes  and  ornaments  for  sale.  Skeleton  of  a 
young  ostrich,  presented  to  the  commodore  by  the 
Bey  of  Tripoli.  He  died  of  cold  and  indigestion. 
I  dissected  him  and  found  his  stomach  completely 
filled  by  a  large  ball  of  closely  matted  rope  yarns, 
which  he  had  always  devoured  with  avidity.  They 
were  unchanged  except  in  color,  which  was  green, 
and  the  mass  was  surrounded  by  stones  and  nails. 
Balls,  apparently  of  grass,  picked  up  on  the  shore 
of  Baiae  before  Nero's  baths;  they  seem  as  if 
formed  by  the  motion  of  the  waves  or  by  insects. 
Shells  picked  up  on  the  shore  of  Carthage,  and  a 
specimen  of  the  cement  of  the  ruined  walls  taken 
from  what  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  Byrsa,  or, 
by  some,  the  Temple  of  JEsculapius.  A  phial  with 
two  lizards  caught  in  Pompeii,  and  a  few  insects 
caught  in  the  ruins  of  Cartharge."  Such  memen- 
toes of  classic  localities  must  have  been  received  by 
Mr.  Shaw  with  no  ordinary  emotions  of  pleasure. 

March  5.  From  Charles  Lean  in  London,  as  a 
specimen  of  the  practice  of  sending  abroad  for  our 
musical  instruments.  "  The  chief  purport  of  the 
present  is  to  apprise  you  that  I  have  inspected  the 
piano  forte  destined  for  your  friend,  Mr.  Ritchie,  and 
pronounce  it  a  superb  instrument  in  every  sense." 
He  states,  that  he  saw  IVEr.  Belsham  a  few  days 


WILLIAM    SMITH    SHAW.  313 

before,  who  was  much  gratified  that  his  belief  had 
"  stanch  friends  in  Boston." 

March  11.  Samuel  L-  Mitchell,  in  behalf  of  the 
New  York  Historical  Society,  addressed  Mr.  Shaw 
for  aid  "  toward  the  formation  of  a  Zoological  Mu- 
seum "  there. 

April  5.  From  W.  Waterman  at  Senegal.  He 
describes  a  recent  expedition,  fitted  out  by  the 
British  government  for  the  Niger.  The  company 
"  started  from  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Nunez  in  Feb- 
ruary. They  proceeded  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  when  a  chief  of  the  country  stopped 
them  about  four  months.  Seeing  no  prospect  of 
being  able  to  proceed,  Capt.  Campbell  determined 
to  regain  the  Rio  Nunez,  to  save  from  pillage  and 
total  loss  such  articles  of  value  as  remained.  Major 
Peddie  and  Capt.  McRea  died  before  they  began, 
their  march.  Capt.  Campbell  and  a  Mons.  Comer, 
a  French  naturalist,  who  was  with  them,  died  after 
their  return.  They  were  all  buried  near  each 
other." 

June  2.  From  John  E.  Hall  in  Philadelphia.  "  If 
you  can  find  in  your  collection  a  copy  of  Anthony 
Benezet's  letter  to  the  king  of  Prussia,  I  will  thank 
you  for  a  short  account  of  it.  Ogilvie  talks  of  a 
second  edition  ;  but  I  think  he  had  better  imitate 
carpenters,  who  find  it  easier  to  rebuild  an  awkward 
edifice  than  to  mend  it." 

June  13.  From  Leslie  Combs  at  Lexington.  He 
states  that  an  Athenaeum  is  just  opened  there,  and 
desires  Mr.  Shaw  to  forward  the  books  which  he 


314  MEMORIALS  OF 

had  offered,  if  such  an  institution  should  be  com- 
menced in  that  town. 

June  18.  From  G.  W.  Stuart,  in  Baltimore.  "  I 
send  you  a  Greek  newspaper  brought  from  Trieste, 
from  Sloan,  the  author  of  Travels  in  Italy,  when 
he  returned  from  that  country.  I  thought  this 
might  be  a  curiosity  to  some  of  your  Greek  scholars 
and  learned  quidnuncs  who  frequent  the  Athenaeum. 
I  hope  Mr.  Sloan's  book  is  as  much  admired  by  you 
in  Boston  as  it  is  by  his  townsmen,  and  indeed  as  it 
is  by  every  body.  There  are  most  certainly  strong 
features  of  originality  in  his  book,  which  will  not 
only  keep  it  alive,  but,  if  my  partiality  does  not 
mislead  me,  will  also  give  it  currency  in  Europe." 

July  11.  From  the  same.  "I  had  the  pleasure 
to  write  you  a  few  days  ago  by  Dr.  Hayden  of  this 
place,  to  whom  I  gave  in  charge  for  you  a  specimen 
of  the  marble  intended  for  the  columns  of  the  Rep- 
resentatives' Hall  in  Washington.  I  am  induced 
to  write  you  again  for  the  purpose  of  introducing 
to  your  acquaintance  Mr.  Artiguenave,  of  the  theatre 
Francois,  and  a  pupil  of  Talma,  who  proposes  to 
exhibit  in  Boston  as  he  has  already  done  in  New 
York,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore.  He  has  very 
rare  talents  for  declamation,  combined  with  most 
improving  instruction  in  the  art  of  elocution.  I  can 
only  say,  that  I  so  highly  esteem  the  qualifications 
of  Mr.  Artiguenave,  and  hope  to  derive  so  much 
advantage  from  him  in  improving  my  knowledge  of 
French,  as  well  as  of  elocution,  that  I  have  engaged 
him  to  return  to  Baltimore  in  October,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  a  course  of  lectures  on  the 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  315 

subjects  connected  with  his  professional  pursuits. 
In  the  mean  time  he  proposes  to  make  an  experiment 
in  Boston  of  such  exhibitions,  principally  of  dra- 
matic declamation,  as  have  proved  profitable  to  him 
in  other  places." 

July  12.  From  Bledsoe  and  Farnham,  at  Frank- 
fort, Ky.  "We  take  the  liberty  of  requesting  you 
to  send  on  to  this  place  your  very  valuable  Review. 
We  are  the  editors  of  a  public  gazette  called  the 
Commonwealth.  We  should  be  happy  to  exchange, 
and  allow  you  the  difference  in  price.  But  our 
object,  at  this  time,  in  soliciting  so  valuable  an 
acquisition  to  literary  stock,  is  for  the  use  of  a  pub- 
lic reading-room,  or  miniature  Atheneeum,  just  estab- 
lished in  this  place,  under  our  superintendence,  for 
which  we  are  desirous  to  procure  your  magazine." 

From  John  H.  Farnham,  one  of  the  above  firm. 
"  As  I  arn  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  feel  no 
ordinary  interest  in  the  literature  and  reputation  of 
my  parent  State,  it  will  give  me  much  pleasure  to 
aid  the  circulation  of  your  Review  in  this  State, 
which  the  annual  convention  of  the  legislature  in 
this  town  will  afford  a  good  opportunity  of  doing, 
Your  interest  and  zeal  in  the  republic  of  letters 
must  be  my  excuse  for  intruding  on  your  numerous 
avocations.  Society  is  improving  rapidly  here.  I 
hope  to  be  the  humble  instrument  in  Kentucky  of 
effecting,  on  a  small  scale,  what  you  have  so  nobly 
undertaken  and  performed  in  the  metropolis  of  New 
England.  The  election  of  Mr.  Holley  to  the  pres- 
idency of  Transylvania  University,  is  now  pending 
before  the  board  of  trustees  in  Lexington.  They 


316  MEMORIALS    OF 

have  postponed  a  decision  until  they  hear  more 
explicitly  his  religious  creed.  The  Presbyterians 
and  Baptists,  at  present,  frown  on  the  nomination  ; 
but  the  enlightened  men,  of  both  parties,  are  zealous 
for  his  election.  Mr.  Pope  has  requested  me  to 
write  to  Boston  for  a  particular  account  of  Mr.  H.'s 
creed,  but  I  presume  this  has  been  done  before 
now." 

July  21.  From  Theodorus  Bailey,  New  York. 
He  requests  that  exertions  might  be  made  to  en- 
courage a  work  introduced  as  follows :  "  Baron 
Lescallier,  known  to  the  literary  world  by  various 
works  which  long  since  entitled  him  to  a  seat  in 
the  Institute  of  Prance,  etc.,  has  employed  his 
leisure  hours  for  a  considerable  number  of  years 
since  his  return  from  the  East  Indies,  in  translating 
several  instructive,  interesting  and  moral  tales,  from 
the  Persian  into  the  French  and  English  languages, 
to  which  are  added  notes,  critical  and  explanatory, 
on  the  manners,  customs,  religion,  and  other  cir- 
cumstances of  the  oriental  nations.  The  title  of 
the  first  of  these  works,  now  publishing,  is  the 
Enchanted  Throne,  containing  thirty-two  tales, 
which  are  meant  as  a  body  of  instruction  to  a 
sovereign,  for  the  good  and  wise  government  of  his 
dominions." 

Aug.  21.  From  Joseph  Delaplaine  in  Philadel- 
phia. "  I  had  the  honor  of  writing  to  you  yester- 
day, on  the  subject  of  the  portrait  of  the  venerable 
Mr.  Adams  which  is  in  your  possession. 

"  I  am  happy  to  see  a  disposition,  on  your  part,  to 
encourage  the  arts.  It  is  really  gratifying  to  reflect 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  317 

on  the  manner  in  which  you  so  handsomely  and 
promptly  consented  to  Mr.  Lloyd  that  I  should  have 
the  portrait  on  loan  for  the  purpose  of  causing  an 
engraving  to  be  executed  from  it  for  my  national 
work,  the  Repository  of  the  Lives  and  Portraits  of 
distinguished  Americans.  It  is  true  that  I  have 
had  granted  to  me  every  request  which  I  have  made 
from  others  to  aid  me  in  my  heavy  and  expensive 
undertaking ;  and  of  course,  I  calculated  that  one 
who  is  known  for  his  liberality  would  scarcely 
refuse  me  the  portrait  of  a  distinguished  character, 
and  which  is  so  important  in  my  present  work. 

"  I  need  scarcely  mention  how  essential  it  is  that 
my  engravings  should  be  executed  from  original 
pictures. 

"  I  pledge  to  you  my  honor  that  the  moment  my 
engraver  has  done  with  the  portrait,  it  shall  be 
returned  with  the  utmost  care  and  safety.  May  I 
beg  you  to  cause  it  to  be  put  in  a  case,  or  box, 
safely,  and  shipped  by  a  vessel  from  Boston  for 
Philadelphia,  as  soon  as  your  convenience  will  per- 
mit ;  and  may  I  beg  the  honor  of  you  to  furnish  to 
me  for  the  Repository,  a  sketch  or  memoir  of  Mr. 
Adams's  life.  It  may  be  embraced  in  about  twenty- 
five  or  thirty,  or  even  more  pages  of  the  Repository 
size. 

"  Some  time  ago,  at  my  request,  Mr.  Adams  sent 
to  me  the  following  facts  of  his  life,  which  I  think 
proper  to  give  you,,  as,  in  the  event  of  your  kindness 
to  undertake  it,  you  may  receive  some  assistance 
from  them. 

"  I  could  certainly  draw  the  memoir  of  Mr.  Adams; 
28 


318  MEMORIALS    OF 

myself,  but  I  am  very  certain  if  I  am  honored  with 
it  from  your  pen,  it  will  be  much  better  executed 
than  I  possibly  could  do  it.  In  your  hands  I  know 
it  will  be  safe.  When  the  engraving  is  executed, 
I  will  with  great  pleasure  send  you  several  impres- 
sions for  your  kind  acceptance,  and  also  a  copy  of 
the  Repository. 

"  '  I  was  born  October  19,  1735,  in  duincy,  then 
the  North  Parish  in  Braintree.  My  father  was  John 
Adams,  born  in  the  same  parish.  My  great-grand- 
father was  Joseph  Adams,  Sen.,  and  my  great-great- 
grandfather was  Henry  Adams,  who  came  from 
England.  These  all  lived,  died,  and  were  buried 
in  this  parish,  as  their  gravestones  in  the  Congrega- 
tional church-yard  distinctly  show  to  this  day.  My 
mother  was  Susanna  Boylston,  a  daughter  of  Peter 
Boylston  of  Brookline.  I  was  educated  partly  at 
the  public  grammar-school,  and  partly  at  a  private 
academy  under  Mr.  Joseph  Marsh,  both  in  this 
parish.  In  1751,  I  entered  Harvard  College  in 
Cambridge.  In  1755,  took  my  degree  of  bachelor 
of  arts,  and  immediately  undertook  the  care  of  the 
public  grammar-school  in  Worcester,  where  I  lived 
in  the  family  and  studied  law  in  the  office  of  James 
Putnam,  till  1758,  when  I  took  my  second  degree 
at  college,  and  the  oath  of  an  attorney  in  Boston. 
In  1761, 1  was  admitted  a  barrister  at  law  in  Boston 
in  the  superior  court  of  judicature  of  the  Province 
of  Massachusetts  Bay.  In  1764,  I  married  Abigail 
Smith,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  William  Smith  of 
Wey mouth.  In  1767,  my  son  John  duincy  Adams 
was  born  in  this  parish.  In  1770,  I  was  a  repre- 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  319 

sentative  of  the  town  of  Boston  in  the  legislature 
of  the  Province.  From  1774  to  1778,  I  was  a 
member  of  Congress.  In  1778,  I  was  sent  to 
France  as  a  minister  plenipotentiary.  In  1779,  I 
was  a  member  of  the  Convention  for  forming  the 
Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  and  in  the  same  year 
sent  to  Europe,  a  second  time,  to  treat  of  peace  and 
commerce  with  Great  Britain.  In  1782,  I  signed 
the  treaty  with  the  States  General  of  the  United 
Provinces,  and  on  the  thirtieth  of  November,  the 
same  year,  the  preliminaries,  and  on  the  third  of 
September,  1783,  the  definitive  treaty  of  peace  with 
Great  Britain.  In  1785,  I  was  sent  as  minister  to 
St.  James,  and  remained  there  till  1788.  In  1789, 
I  was  Vice  President,  and  continued  in  that  office 
till  1797,  when  I  was  chosen  President.  In  1801, 
I  was  no  longer  President. 

" '  For  some  years  I  was  President  of  the  Amer- 
ican Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  of  the 
Society  for  Promoting  Agriculture  in  Massachusetts. 

"  «  The  late  Governor  Samuel  Adams  was  not  my 
brother.  He  was  no  nearer  related  to  me  than  a 
second  cousin.  We  had  the  same  great-grandfather. 
John  was  my  father,  Joseph,  Jr.  was  my  grand- 
father, the  oldest  son  of  Joseph  Adams,  Sen.  my 
great-grandfather.  Governor  Adams  was  the  son  of 
Samuel  Adams  of  Boston,  the  grandson  of  John 
Adams  of  Boston,  and  the  great-grandson  of  Joseph 
Adams,  Sen.  of  this  parish,  now  called  Quincy, 
who  was  the  common  ancestor  of  us  both. 

"  '  In  1745,  when  Louisburg  was  conquered,  I 
took  a  decided  part  against  France  arid  Great 
Britain. 


320  MEMOKIALS  OF 

" < In  1755,  I  took  a  decided  part  against  France 
and  Great  Britain  too. 

"  *  In  1760  and  1761,  upon  the  first  appearance 
of  the  design  of  Great  Britain  to  deprive  us  of  our 
liberties  by  asserting  the  sovereign  authority  of 
Parliament  over  us,  I  took  a  decided  part  against 
her.' 

"  I  requested  Mr.  Morse  to  paint  for  me  a  copy 
of  Hancock's  portrait  for  my  gallery,  which  he  did, 
and  I  have  it ;  but  I  shall  request  Mr.  Lloyd  to  have 
the  goodness,  and  in  this  request  I  beg  leave  to  ask 
your  influence  and  attention  also,  to  obtain  the 
original  portraits  of  Samuel  Adams  and  Hancock  j 
and  may  I  beg,  at  the  same  time,  that  you  will  have 
the  goodness  to  send  them  in  the  same  case  with 
that  of  Mr.  John  Adams." 

Nov.  10.  From  H.  Brevoort,  Jr.,  in  New  York 
city.  "In  a  letter  lately  received  from  my  friend, 
Mr.  Washington  Irving,  he  observes  that  Mr.  Thomas 
Campbell,  (author  of  the  Pleasures  of  Hope,  etc.) 
might  be  allured  by  assurances  of  success,  to  visit 
the  United  States.  He  has  for  several  years  past 
delivered  annually  a  course  of  twelve  lectures  upon 
belles  lettres  and  poetry,  at  the  British  Institution, 
before  one  of  the  most  enlightened  audiences  in 
Europe.  The  best  critics  in  Great  Britain  have 
prounced  them  to  be  compositions  worthy  of  Camp- 
bell's genius.  I  heard  him  deliver  one  of  them  on 
the  comparative  merits  of  the  ancient  and  modern 
drama,  in  which  was  given  a  character  of  Shak- 
speare.  So  far  as  my  judgment  goes,  I  think  it  was 
one  of  the  most  pure  and  masterly  pieces  of  criti- 
cism that  I  have  ever  listened  to. 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  321 

"  The  whole  of  the  lectures  are  written  out, 
and  Campbell's  mode  of  delivering  them,  or  rather 
reading  them,  is  distinct  and  impressive,  without 
aiming  at  the  graces  of  elocution.  I  have  consulted 
with  our  leading  men  of  taste,  and  am  glad  to  find 
them  united  in  a  decided  assurance  of  Campbell's 
success  in  New  York.  I  have  received  the  same 
assurances  from  persons  of  a  similar  character  in 
Philadelphia  ;  and  the  main  object  of  this  letter  is 
to  ask  the  favor  from  you  of  obtaining,  so  far  as 
you  possibly  can,  the  opinion  of  the  literati  of 
Boston  on  this  subject. 

"  Suppose,  for  example,  the  price  of  attendance 
to  be  fixed  at  ten  dollars  for  each  person,  are  you 
not  of  opinion  that  he  might  at  least  obtain  a  pro- 
portion of  ten  or  twelve  thousand  dollars  in  Boston, 
and  the  total  sum  obtained  throughout  the  principal 
cities  of  the  Union  ? 

"  Should  I  receive  sufficient  encouragement  for 
his  enterprise,  I  would  advise  him  to  reach  the 
United  States  by  the  first  day  of  October,  1818. 
It  is  too  late  for  this  season. 

"  Besides  the  honor  which  the  success  of  Camp- 
bell would  reflect  upon  the  liberal  spirit  of  our 
citizens,  I  am  persuaded  the  delivery  of  his  lectures 
would  produce  the  happiest  effects  upon  our  litera- 
ture, by  giving  an  impulse  and  a  direction  to  the 
vagrant  taste  of  the  public.  Campbell  is  known  to 
be  a  fine  classical  scholar,  and  never  hurries  any  of 
his  compositions  before  the  public  without  infusing 
into  them  the  full  inspiration  of  his  genius. 

"  We  owe  him  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  having  laid 
28* 


322  MEMORIALS   OF 

the  scene  of  one  of  the  most  classical  poems  of  the 
age  in  the  United  States ;  he  is  also  nearly  connect- 
ed to  us  by  the  ties  of  kindred,  and  his  brother 
resides  at  Richmond,  Va.,  at  this  moment. 

"  The  subjects  and  scope  of  his  lectures  will  be 
adapted  to  persons  of  every  description.  He  is  the 
apostle  of  no  literary  sect ;  his  doctrines  are  derived 
from  Roman  and  Grecian  sources,  unadulterated  by 
the  fashions  of  the  age  in  which  he  lives. 

11  We  shall  have  the  direct  road  to  fame  pointed 
out  to  us,  by  one  who  has  triumphantly  trodden  its 
paths,  and  by  one  whose  name  has  already  been, 
consecrated  to  literary  immortality.  But  it  is 
useless  to  flourish  my  trumpet  as  the  herald  of 
Campbell. 

"  Should  he  be  satisfied  with  our  reception,  I 
trust  some  one  of  our  colleges  will  tempt  him  by  an 
offer  of  a  chair,  to  remain  among  us. 

11  Pray  favor  me  with  your  answer  and  your 
advice.  I  assure  you  I  have  nothing  more  at  heart 
than  to  promote  the  independence  of  a  man  whom 
I  love  and  admire." 

This  year,  Mr.  Shaw  receives  a  communication 
from  Noah  Webster  at  Amherst.  It  contains  a  long 
critique  on  Lindley  Murray's  Grammar.  It  shows, 
that  the  latter  had  made  large  use  of  Webster's 
Grammar,  but  had  given  him  little  credit.  At  its 
close,  the  author  makes  various  remarks  as  to  what 
had  been  so  taken.  He  says,  "  They  are  the  fruits 
of  my  labor.  On  what  principles  can  any  compiler 
avail  himself  of  my  labors  to  give  popularity  to  his 
compilation,  without  acknowledging  the  obligation. 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  323 

The  laws  of  Great  Britain  do  not,  indeed,  protect 
my  property  in  that  country ;  but  where  are  the 
laws  of  honor,  of  justice,  of  civility,  and  even  of 
magnanimity,  which  disdains  to  seek  reputation 
from  borrowed  merit." 

Mr.  Webster  gives  a  specimen  of  similar  treat- 
ment before.  "  In  the  year  1802,  I  collected  with 
considerable  labor  and  expense,  and  published  a  brief 
history  of  the  banking  institutions  then  existing  in 
the  United  States..  This  was  soon  republished  by 
one  Mr.  Humphrey,  a  printer  in  Philadelphia,  and 
from  his  work,  the  editor  of  Rees's  Encyclopaedia, 
without  knowing  the  author,  transferred  the  history 
into  that  work.  On  being  informed  of  the  fact, 
Mr.  Bradford  expressed  his  regret  at  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  suggested  that  justice  might  perhaps  be 
done  to  me  in  a  subsequent  edition." 

With  regard  to  the  aid  which  Murray  had  derived 
from  his  Grammar,  Mr.  Webster  introduces  a  Mr. 
Perkins.  When  this  person,  "  the  inventor  or  son 
of  the  inventor  of  the  metallic  points  or  tractors, 
was  in  England,  diffusing  the  benefits  of  the  in- 
vention, in  cases  of  disease,  he  very  politely  sent 
me  a  present  of  a  pair  of  his  points,  accompanied 
with  a  book  in  praise  of  their  healing  virtues.  My 
family  have  sometimes  used  them  to  pick  the  kernel 
from  nut-shells.  Their  real  value  is  not  known  ; 
but  considering  the  price  at  which  they  were  sold 
to  others,  the  present  was  not  to  be  despised.  At 
any  rate,  it  was  received  as  a  mark  of  respect. 
After  Mr.  Perkins  changed  the  form  of  his  dress, 
married  a  connection  of  Lindley  Murray,  and  entered 


324  MEMORIALS   OF 

into  business  with  the  family  of  my  much  respected 
friend,  the  late  Isaac  Collins,  his  deportment  towards 
me  was  visibly  altered,  although  nothing  had  taken 
place  between  us  to  warrant  a  change.  It  was  no- 
ticed by  my  friends,  that  he  often  spoke  very  disre- 
spectfully of  me  and  my  publications.  About  this 
time  there  appeared  in  a  periodical  publication  in 
Boston  some  very  bitter  invectives  against  me  and 
my  writings."  These  and  other  circumstances  led 
Mr.  Webster  to  conclude,  that  Mr.  Perkins  thus  at- 
tacked him,  either  personally  or  by  some  accessory. 
At  this  time,  the  latter  and  his  partner,  Mr.  Collins, 
had  the  first  American  edition  of  Murray's  Grammar 
in  the  press.  Mr.  Webster  then  refers  to  his  philo- 
sophical and  practical  Grammar  as  having  met  with 
but  little  success.  He  proceeds  : 

"  At  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  I  completed 
these  volumes,  which  were  intended  to  aid  the 
youth  of  this  country  in  their  education.  For  some 
years,  rny  plan  appeared  to  be,  in  a  good  degree, 
successful,  and  to  meet  the  views  of  my  fellow  cit- 
izens. But  for  some  years  past,  great  efforts  have 
been  made  to  defeat  the  object,  by  introducing 
British  books  into  our  schools.  This  change,  how- 
ever, seems  not  to  be  so  much  the  effect  of  any 
change  in  the  patriotic  dispositions  of  our  citizens 
in  general,  as  of  the  efforts  of  booksellers,  and  of 
that  reverence,  which  men  of  erudition  feel  for  the 
literary  character  of  our  parent  country.  This  rev- 
erence, *  major  e  longinquo  reverentia,'  however 
justifiable  to  a  certain  extent,  is  carried  to  a  degree 
that  discourages  literary  exertions  in  this  country, 


WILLIAM  SMITH   SHAW.  325 

and  proves  a  great  national  calamity.  At  present 
it  keeps  this  country  completely  in  leading  strings." 

Mr.  Webster  continues :  "  No  sooner  had  my 
Grammatical  Institutes  made  their  appearance,  than 
a  host  of  compilers  began  to  imitate  my  example." 
He  then  mentions  the  great  sale  of  his  American 
Spelling-book,  and  not  only  of  its  being  used  gene- 
rally in  the  United  States  and  in  the  British  domin- 
ions in  America,  but  also,  as  report  says,  in  some 
parts  of  England  He  proceeds  :  "  My  old  Grammar, 
containing  substantially  the  principles  found  in 
Lowth  and  Murray,  I  suppressed  from  principle,  in 
opposition  to  my  interest  and  the  solicitations  of 
booksellers.  I  was  educated  in  Lowth,  but  having, 
by  my  own  researches,  discovered  that  some  of  the 
received  principles  are  false,  I  could  not  conscien- 
tiously continue  knowingly  to  be  instrumental  in 
propagating  error.  I  have  more  recently  compiled 
a  Dictionary  for  the  counting-house,  with  an 
abridgment  of  it  for  common  schools,  which,  in 
spite  of  opposition,  is  gaining  ground. 

"My  Elements  of  Useful  Knowledge,  in  four 
volumes,  two  of  which  are  especially  intended  to 
give  our  youth  a  correct,  though  brief  view  of  the 
settlement,  history,  and  description  of  their  own 
country,  have  a  limited  circulation.  The  experi- 
ment, made  by  these  works,  evinces  remarkably 
the  predilection,  which  the  people  of  this  country 
have  for  a  knowledge  of  Greece,  Rome,  and  Great 
Britain,  in  preference  to  that  of  their  own  country. 

"  By  a  Jong  and  laborious  course  of  investigation, 
I  have  endeavored  to  discover  the  origin  and  primary 


826  MEMORIALS   OP 

signification  of  words,  the  various  structure  of  lan- 
guage, and  the  connection  between  the  various  lan- 
guages of  the  world.  The  result  has  satisfied  my 
expectations.  I  have  reasonable  ground  to  believe 
that  my  labors  will  throw  <  much  light  on  the  sub- 
ject.' From  these  researches,  it  appears  beyond  a 
doubt,  that  the  best  Dictionaries  of  the  Hebrew, 
Greek,  Latin,  arid  English  languages  are  susceptible 
of  great  improvements.  Could  I  hope  that  my  life 
and  strength  would  be  sufficiently  prolonged,  I 
should  attempt  a  revision  of  them  all.  But  there 
is  no  rational  ground  for  such  a  hope,,  It  is  believed, 
however,  that  my  analysis,  which  is  nearly  com- 
pleted, will  enable  others  to  perform,  with  compara- 
tively small  labor,  what  I  must  leave  unaccomplished. 
This  work  requires  a  large  portion  of  life,  and  an 
expense  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  thousand  dollars. 
No  aid  can  be  afforded  me,  except  in  pecuniary 
means  ;  and  the  small  resources  derived  from  the 
sale  of  my  publications,  have  not  always  borne  me 
above  the  inquietudes  which  disqualify  a  man  for 
tranquil  study.  If  these  resources,  however,  can  be 
enjoyed  in  future,  my  means  may  be  sufficient. 
Under  all  my  discouragements,  I  have  great  cause 
of  gratitude  to  that  Being,  who  has  hitherto  sus- 
tained me.  I  claim  nothing  from  men  but  justice  ; 
and  my  confidence  in  the  righteous  government  of 
the  Supreme  Being,  leads  me  to  believe,  that  in  the 
course  of  events,  justice  will  be  done  me." 

Thus  far  we  have  been  able  to  accompany  Mr. 
Shaw,  by  the  aid  of  correspondence,  as  a  sort  of 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  327 

journal,  giving  a  view  of  the  times  to  which  the 
attention  of  himself  and  friends  were  immediately 
drawn.  But  from  this  point  to  his  decease,  scarcely 
any  such  literary  materials  have  come  to  the  hands 
of  the  compiler.  Consequently  an  unavoidable 
blank  is  occasioned,  which  he  is  unable  to  supply. 
While  the  deficiency  is  regretted,  discouragement 
should  not  utterly  prevent  our  endeavor  to  proceed 
by  such  guides  as  yet  remain. 

Referring  to  the  institution  in  which  Mr.  Shaw 
was  deeply  interested,  as  it  was  in  1815  and  1816, 
the  author,1  who  has  ably  presented  its  progress  to 
the  public,  remarks  as  follows.  "  During  the  two 
preceding  years  and  the  next  following,  the  history 
of  the  Athenaeum  was  not  marked  by  any  important 
measures  of  the  trustees.  The  aspect  of  the  times 
during  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  was  gloomy  and 
discouraging,  and  no  present  prospect  of  increasing 
the  funds  of  the  institution  appeared.  At  this 
period,  while  men's  minds  were  absorbed  by  that 
war  and  its  consequences,  the  efficiency  of  the 
Athenaeum  and  its  very  existence,  seem  to  have 
been,  in  a  manner,  identified  with  Mr.  Shaw.  He 
held  the  offices  both  of  secretary  and  librarian, 
and  occupied  himself  almost  exclusively,  in  col- 
lecting rare  books,  pamphlets,  coins,  and  interesting 
relics  of  antiquity,  and,  by  purchase  or  solicitation, 
bringing  them  under  its  roof." 

1818,  Jan.  20.  Such  was  the  ill  health  of  Mr. 
Shaw,  and  his  consequent  inability  to  do  all  which 
he  wished,  as  librarian  of  the  Athenaeum,  he  coin- 

*  Hon.  Josiah.  Quincy's  History  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum. 


328  MEMORIALS  OF 

cided  with  the  adoption  of  an  article  for  supplying 
him  with  an  assistant.  Still  he  perseveringly  man- 
ifested "  zeal  and  diligence  "  for  the  advancement 
of  its  prosperity.  "  He  continued  unwearied  in 
obtaining  and  adding  to  its  stores,  with  little  ap- 
parent solicitude  that  what  was  bought  with  his 
own  funds  should  be  discriminated  from  what  was 
derived  from  the  bounty  of  others.  He  was  the 
last  to  desire  to  appropriate  to  himself  other  men's 
benefactions ;  but,  through  habit,  his  happiness 
becoming  inseparably  united  with  the  Athenaeum, 
his  only  thought  was  for  its  success."  With  such 
relations  to  the  institution,  Mr.  Shaw  was  requested 
several  times  in  the  course  of  the  year,  by  the 
trustees,  to  have  a  separation  of  his  collections 
from  those  under  their  official  care.  But  while  he 
considered  their  request  as  proper,  he  did  not  so  feel 
the  necessity  of  it  as  to  comply.  Therefore,  "they 
thought  it  better  to  acquiesce,  than  to  do  any  thing 
which  should  separate  the  most  efficient  founder 
and  best  patron  of  the  institution  from  it,  in  point 
either  of  feeling  or  exertion." 

Jan.  29.  As  an  officer  of  the  Linnaean  Society, 
Mr.  Shaw  received  a  letter  of  this  date,  from  the 
Royal  Society  in  London,  acknowledging  their 
reception  of  a  report  concerning  the  sea  serpent, 
discovered  near  Cape  Ann. 

1819,  June  10.  John  Adams  of  Q,uincy,  addresses 
the  subsequent  note  to  Mr.  Shaw.  "  I  thank  you 
kindly  for  sending  me  the  Centinel  containing  the 
pieces  upon  Neutrality,  signed  *  Marcellus,'  which  I 
have  long  been  seeking  without  success.  I  hope 


WILLIAM    SMITH   SHAW.  329 

you  will  be  able  to  lend  it  to  me  long  enough  to 
get  such  papers  copied.  I  hope  you  have  not 
forsaken  us.  The  time  seems  very  long  since  we 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you.  Here  the  sight  of 
you  is  always  grateful  to  your  friend  and  Uncle." 

June  and  September.  In  the  North  American 
Review  of  these  months,  John  Pickering,  the  dis- 
tinguished linguist,  published  Wyttenback's  Obser- 
vations on  Classical  Education,  which  was  after- 
wards republished  by  the  translator,  with  valuable 
additions.  This,  as  the  learned  eulogist [  of  Pick- 
ering remarks,  "  was  printed  at  the  expense  of  that 
kind-hearted  patron  of  letters,  the  late  William  S. 
Shaw,  who  deserves  a  grateful  remembrance  in  this 
metropolis." 

Mr.  Shaw  continued  to  be  elected  Secretary  and 
Librarian  of  the  Athenaeum  till  January  23,  1823, 
when  he  retained  only  the  former  office,  and  this 
for  one  year  longer. 

1824,  February.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Proprietors 
of  the  Athenseum,  they  passed  the  following:  — 
"  Voted,  as  a  tribute  of  gratitude  to  William  Smith 
Shaw,  our  first  Secretary  and  Librarian,  for  his 
early,  zealous  and  successful  services,  by  which  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  this  institution  have  been 
greatly  promoted,  that  the  President  be  authorized 
to  request  Mr.  Shaw  to  sit  for  his  portrait,  and  to 
cause  the  same  to  be  placed  in  the  reading-room  ; 
and  that  a  sum  not  exceeding  three  hundred  dollars 
be  appropriated  to  defray  the  expense  of  the  same." 

1  Hon.  Daniel  A.  White,  who  delivered  the  Eulogy  before  the 
American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  October  28,  1846. 

29 


330  MEMORIALS  OF 

The  portrait  was  done  by  Stuart3  and  is  preserved 
among  the  paintings  of  the  Athenaeum. 

1826,  April  5.  As  a  pledge  of  his  continued  wish 
for  the  welfare  of  the  Athenaeum,  Mr.  Shaw,  among 
other  subscribers,  gives  it  the  sum  of  three  hundred 
dollars.  This  he  did  but  a  few  weeks  prior  to  his 
decease.  It  was  as  a  parting  adieu,  and  a  seal  of 
his  strong  affection  to  the  object,  for  whose  begin- 
ning, advancement  and  prosperity,  he  had  tasked  his 
energies,  and  generously  devoted  a  large  share  of 
his  property,  exertions  and  life. 

In  connection  with  this  parting  farewell,  we  may 
revert  to  other  pecuniary  concerns,  which  hold  a 
similar  relation.  For  the  period  of  years  in  which 
Mr.  Shaw  was  actively  connected  with  the  Boston 
Athenaeum,  he  made  no  charge  for  his  official  ser- 
vices to  promote  its  interests.  Probably  no  other 
man,  of  fit  taste,  tact  and  perseverance,  could  have 
been  found,  who  would  consent  to  exert  himself 
for  it,  as  he  did,  while  in  its  infancy,  and  afterwards, 
when  encumbered  with  discouraging  difficulties, 
without  any  compensation. 

As  additional  to  what  Mr.  Shaw  gave  in  common 
with  other  donors  to  the  Athenaeum,  at  its  outset 
and  in  its  continuance,  besides  the  many  volumes 
and  other  presents  for  it,  which  he  obtained  by  per- 
sonal application,  or  were  forwarded  to  him,  as  its 
Secretary  and  Librarian,  there  were  other  items  of 
property,  for  its  use,  which  he  held  distinctly  as  his 
own  private  possessions.  These  were  constantly 
beneficial  in  rendering  the  institution  more  known, 
and  thus  drawing  to  it  liberal  contributors.  Among 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  331 

them  were  his  valuable  coins,  and,  particularly,  his 
large  and  rich  collection  of  tracts.  Such  and  simi- 
lar property,  from  his  papers  and  other  credible 
authority,  was  worth  not  less  than  ten  thousand 
dollars.  Believing,  that  when  he  connected  these 
appendages  with  the  AthenEeum,  he  intended  that 
they  should  remain  there,  and  knowing  that  his 
fame  was  closely  interwoven  with  its  prosperity, 
his  heirs  conveyed  them  to  its  Trustees.  In  this 
manner,  they  who  were  left  to  settle  his  affairs, 
carried  out  his  former  purpose,  so  that  his  name  is 
more  agreeably  associated  with  the  institution,  and 
holds  a  higher  grade  among  the  list  of  its  pecuniary 
benefactors. 

On  a  review  of  the  preceding  correspondence  and 
other  correlative  matters,  facts  meet  us  as  the  basis 
of  some  remarks,  in  conclusion,  relative  to  the 
subject  of  such  memorials.  Prom  the  earliest-  de- 
velopment of  his  physical  constitution,  he  was  far 
from  being  robust  and  able  to  combat  with  severi- 
ties of  climate  and  exertion.  He  was  more  like 
the  sensitive  plant  than  the  young  oak,  which 
gathers  strength  from  the  battling  elements.  The 
frosts  of  winter,  and  sudden  changes  of  heat  and 
cold,  visited  him  with  dangerous  coughs.  His  de- 
sire to  be  as  active  as  his  sturdiest  playmates,  led 
him  to  put  forth  strength  at  the  cost  of  confinement 
to  the  house.  The  harsh  look,  word  and  rebuff, 
deeply  wounded  his  feelings  and  discouraged  his 
best  endeavors.  Well  for  one  of  such  a  tempera- 
ment, that  he  was  more  than  ordinarily  blest  with 


332  MEMORIALS   OF 

parental  sympathy,  care,  counsel  and  instruction. 
To  protection  like  this  he  could  flee  in  the  days  of 
his  boyhood,  as  an  unfailing  asylum  from  the  rough- 
ness of  the  little  world  in  which  he  moved,  Of 
the  prevalent  diseases,  to  which  his  childhood  was 
subject,  were  rheumatic  and  febrile  complaints. 
These  accompanied  him  through  life,  and,  several 
times,  appeared  to  be  more  than  his  natural  power 
could  sustain.  They  occasioned  his  endurance  of 
suffering,  far  greater  in  degree,  than  usually  falls  to 
the  lot  of  mankind. 

Concerning  the  intellectual  qualifications  of  Mr. 
Shaw,  collectively  considered,  they  ranked  above 
those  of  the  common  order.  Endowed  with  a  dis- 
criminating taste  for  the  fine  arts,  he  did  much,  in 
co-operation  with  others,  to  raise  them  from  their 
low  repute  and  give  them  a  prominence  in  our  me- 
tropolis and  country.  Favored  with  a  strong  and 
retentive  memory,  accompanied  with  an  ardent  de- 
sire and  continual  application  for  the  stores  of 
knowledge,  he  made  such  progress,  that  few  of  his 
age  had  acquired  more  extensive  acquaintance  with 
books  and  their  authors.  Thus  was  he  eminently 
fitted  to  guide  the  searcher  in  various  departments 
of  literature  and  science.  It  is  true,  that  such  was 
his  repugnance  to  pretensions  without  merit,  in 
any  sphere  of  intelligence,  that  he  instinctively 
shrunk  from  the  empiric  in  letters,  who  would 
browbeat  others  to  show  off  his  own  assumed  supe- 
riority. With  such  he  neither  expected  nor  sought 
to  find  favor.  But  with  all,  who  met  him  in  the 
spirit  of  kindness,  to  exercise  kindred  feelings,  and 


WILLIAM  SMITH  SHAW.  333 

interchange  friendly  thoughts,  he  rose  above  the 
beaten  track,  and  sustained  a  high  rank  among  the 
literati  around  him. 

Relative  to  the  moral  traits  of  Mr.  Shaw,  his 
early  training  had  a  wise  and  constant  reference  to 
them.  The  daily  injunction  upon  him  from  the 
lips  of  his  parents,  accompanied  with  their  oft- 
repeated  prayer,  that  Divine  aid  would  give  it  effi- 
cacy, was,  that  as  among  the  chief  obligations  of 
life,  he  should  overcome  selfishness,  and  scatter  the 
blessings  of  benevolence  wherever  he  sojourned  and 
wherever  he  dwelt.  Such  labor  was  not  in  vain. 
We  have  full  warrant  to  believe  and  assert,  that 
while  his  mind  entertained  noble  motives  and  con- 
clusions, and  his  heart  cherished  tender  charities  and 
kind  purposes,  his  actions  responded  to  various  and 
multiplied  calls  of  beneficence.  To  the  relatives 
and  friends,  who  needed  his  assistance,  he  was  gen- 
erous in  his  gifts.  To  many  others,  struggling  with 
adversity,  he  extended  timely  relief.  To  public 
institutions  of  different  descriptions,  he  was  a  ready 
and  constant  contributor.  When  solicitations  were 
to  be  made  for  their  necessities  and  advancement, 
he  was  frequently  and  successfully  engaged  in  so 
unwelcome  a  service.  Through  his  other  walks  of 
society,  he  exhibited  a  similar  principle.  One  of 
the  interesting  cases,  in  which  he  so  acted  his  part, 
we  have  from  the  pen  of  the  Hon.  Josiah  Quincy. 
"In  this  connection,  should  not  be  omitted  the  more 
than  fraternal  kindness,  which  through  life  he  ex- 
tended to  that  estimable  and  meritorious  authoress, 
Hannah  Adams,  by  assisting  her  with  books,  pro- 
29* 


334  MEMORIALS   OF 

curing  for  her  friends,  obtaining  subscriptions  for 
her  works,  and  afterwards,  when  age  and  infirmities 
had  visited  her,  obtaining  an  annuity  for  her  sup- 
port, superintending  all  her  concerns,  and  contribu- 
ting in  every  way  to  her  comfort.  His  attention 
and  kindness  were  the  frequent  topics  of  that  lady's 
acknowledgments,  accompanied  by  intense  expres- 
sions of  gratitude."  In  such  manifestations  of  his 
prevalent  disposition,  he  made  no  display.  He  did 
not  encumber  them  with  intimated  conditions,  which 
destroyed  respect  for  the  sincerity  of  his  deeds. 
The  good  he  did,  was  like  the  vital  air,  which  is 
silent,  though  effectual  to  sustain  and  rejoice,  but  it 
exacts  no  ostentatious  and  slavish  returns. 

Having  attended  to  these  considerations,  we  are 
called  to  notice  the  end  of  him,  to  whom  they  per- 
sonally refer.  Worn  down  by  protracted  complaints, 
he  died  suddenly,  in  Boston,  April  25,  1826,  in  the 
forty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  The  eloquent  histo- 
rian of  the  Athenaeum  remarks,  that  he  was  thus 
taken  from  his  earthly  career,  "  after  a  life  of  labor 
-and  usefulness,  devoted  to  the  advancement  of  let- 
ters ;  entitling  him  to  the  character  of  a  faithful 
friend,  a  most  worthy  citizen,  and  a  zealous  and  dis- 
interested public  benefactor." 

Thus  far,  we  have  followed  the  design  of  this 
work.  The  probation,  which  has  allowed  us  so 
to  do,  hurries  to  a  close.  With  all  its  haste  and 
absorption,  in  the  busy  concerns  of  earth,  it  is  not 
without  its  admonitions.  As  it  is  constantly  called 
to  notice  its  cessation  in  persons  of  every  age,  con- 


WILLIAM   SMITH  SHAW.  335 

dition,  and  character,  it  bids  us  consider  many  of 
the  names  on  these  pages,  and  says  in  reference  to 
them, 

"  Time  was,  like  th.ee,  they  life  possest, 
And  time  shall  be,  that  thou  shalt  rest." 

Our  ears  should  hear  and  our  hearts  should  feel 
such  counsel.  It  should  prompt  us  to  redeem  the 
life,  divinely  continued  to  us,  so  that  its  fleeting 
days  may  bear  tidings  to  the  record  of  heaven,  that 
we  are  increasingly  swayed  by  the  motives  of  our 
holy  religion,  and  are  thus  enabled  to  calm  the 
rising  fears  of  our  latter  end. 

"Death's  but  a  path,  that  must  be  trod, 
If  man  would  ever  pass  to  God." 


INDEX 


TO  THE  PRINCIPAL  MATTERS  CONTAINED  IN  THIS  VOLUME. 


When  several  pages,  referring  to  the  same  thing,  are  denoted  by  tens  or  hundreds, 
these  figures  will  be  expressed  but  once,  except  when  intervened  by  words. 


Abstinence  from  stimulus,  280 
Accounts,  exact,  22 
Actors  of  (he  stage,  182 
Administration  of  John  Adams,  153,4 
Admiralty  law,  137;  court,  265 
Advantages  of  a  minister  to  improve 

164 
African  society,  82:  exploration,  82 

93,313 
Agricultural  subjects,  131  ;  Society 

Alien  and  sedition  bills,  35,  7,  43,  89 

130,1,41 

Allied  Powers,  77,  9,  83,  90,  134,  5 
American  Academy,  124,319;  geni 
us,  deficient  in  literature  and  sci- 
ence, 169;  literature,  91,  137,  8; 
resolution,  26 ;    Antiquarian  Soci- 
ety, 293 ;  speeches,  304 
Annuity   to  the   Prince  of   Orange, 

174;  for  H.  Adams,  263      * 
Answer  of  Webster  to  Priestly,  96 
Anthology,  190,  203,  6-13,  5,  21,  3, 
32,  8,  41,  7-50,  6,  63,  75,  315  ;  So- 
ciety,  203-5,  7,  11,  3,  22,  32,  48; 
Reading- Room,  213, 4, 21 , 34,  6,  43 
Appeal  to  the  House,  141 
Ashe's  Travels,  257 
Assassination  of  French  ministers,  6'J 
Asylum  for  indigent  boys,  305 
Athenaeum  in  Liverpool,  161,  2,  223  ; 
in   Boston,  204,    13 ;    Providence, 
273;    Salem,    275;    Philadelphia, 
301  ;    Portland,    302  ;    Lexington, 
Ky.,  311,  3,  4  ;  Frankfort,   Ky., 
3 15 
Attachment  to  books,  7 


Attorney,  admission  as,  186 
Authors'  experience,    190-201,    239, 

322-6 
Autobiography   of  H.  Adams,   190- 

203. 

Bacon's  Works,  263 

Balance  of  political  opinion,  110 

Bank,  new,  168;  of  Cape  Fear,  247 

Banking  institutions,  323 

Bankrupt  bill,  105,  6 

Bankruptcies,  161 

Beacon  Hill,  63,  6 

Belligerent  powers,  right  of  search, 

73,4 

Beneficence,  57,  333. 4 
Benevolent  action,  15 
Bibliographical,  272 
Biographical,  294-9 
Book-making,  often  troublesome  and 

profitless,  190-201,  322-6 
Boston  Athenaeum,  204,  34,5,40,  1, 

3,  5,  63,  5,  72,  83-5,  9,  91,  2,  302, 

9,  27-9,  30,  4 
Boston  protest,  215,  6 
Boston  Review,  275 
Boston  Weekly  Magazine,  204 
Botanical,  lectures,  204,  306 
Botanist,  204 
British  books  introduced,  324,  5 

Caffrarian  god,  60 

Uanal  Company  of  Delaware,  237 

Canandaigua,  description  of,  261,  2 

Canvass,  political,  113 
iCapture  of  American  vessels,  111 
ICard  playing,  21 


INDEX. 


337 


Carpet,  new,  turned  to  political  ac-  Cunningham  correspondence,  290 
count,  36 


Castiglioni's  Travels,  270 


Catalogue  of  Harvard  graduates,  300  Deaf  and  dumb,  charity,  309 
" 


Catastrophe  at  Ley  den,  211, 

Catholic  corruptions,  assumed  tolera- 
tion, 24 1,2 

Certificates  for  protection,  179 

Character,  331-4 

Charitable  Fire  Association,  152 

Chesapeake  affair,  246 

Childhood,  incidents  of,  7-10 

Choice  of  a  profession,  99  ;  of  a  wife, 
219,  20 

Christian  piety,  32  ;  death,  121 

Christmas  holidays,  185 

Christianity,  59,  60 

Citoyen,  91,  2 

Civilities  to  the  President,  34 

Civil  war,  165 

Classical  mementoes,  310,  1  ;  educa- 
tion, 329 

Classics,  knowledge  of,  16  ;  deficiency 
in  them,  64 

Clerk  of  U.  S.  Court,  212 

Clients,  146 

Close  thoughts  and  open  countenance, 


Daughter  of  Count  Rumford,  46 


Coalition  in   Europe,  77,  9,  83,   90,  Donations,  330,  1 


Death  of  friends  and  relatives,  13,  9, 
30,  3,  4,  121.  93,  202,  36,  8,  93, 
302;  of  Washington,  86,  187 

Deceit  of  the  world,  27 

Decisions  of  England,  91,  125 

Defence  of  the  Constitution,  158,  9 

Deists,  65 

Delaware  Canal  Company,  237 

Delusion,  political,  47 

Democrats,  92,  5,  125,  41 

Democracy,  155,  8 

Departure  from  life,  334 

Dependence  on  others,  18 

Dictionary  of  Webster,  238,  9,  326 

Dighton  Rock,  250 

Direct  tax,  47 

Discourses  on  Davila,  65,  78,  104,  5 

District  of  Columbia,  bill  for  it  makes 
excitement,  126  ;  its  condition,  127, 
31 

Divine,  exemplary,  57 

Divine  theory,  250 

Divinity,  82 

Domestic  life  of  Washington,  98 


118,  34,5 
Cockade,  29,  140 
Coins,  from  Libeda,  290,  1,  308 
College,    entrance,   11;    study,    12; 

sickness,  19 
Colonies,  82 
Commencement,  28 


Dress,  16,  29 

Dueling,  109,  43,  87,  8,  220,  80 

Early  instruction,  122,  3 
Earnings,  first,  22 
Economy  of  Congress,  188 
Electioneering,  188,  9,  190 


Commercial  intercourse  restricted,  62  Elements  of  knowledge,  325 


Commissioners  to  France,  25,  79 
Commonwealth  Gazette,  315 
Community  of  property,  40,  51 ,  6 
Composition,  16 

Congratulation  of  Congress,  116,  7 
Congress  congratulated  by  the  peo- 
ple of  Washington  ;   the  first  Con- 
gress there,  116,  7  ;  85,6,  8,  206, 


Embargo,  question,  259,  61 

England,  invasion  of,  23,  8 

English  concerns,  23,  8,  9,  38,  42,  6, 
69,  72,  7,  8,  80,  3,  4,  100,  5,  11,  25, 
71,4,7-9,82,5,6,249,53 

English  decisions,  91,  125 

Entrance  on  life,  146 

Envoys  to  France,  77-80,  3,  4,  102,  5 

1.1     •  _j  J- _r  /"*!._•    *: :»..     irw 


9,   10,  46,  52 ;    first  member    of,|  Evidences  of  Christianity,  197 
buried  there,  246;  attempt  to  put  Eulogies  on  Washington,  88,  98,  101, 
Quincy  down,  252  2,  7. 

Congressional  documents,  263  Episcopacy,  256 

Conscious    rectitude,    proof    against^ European  affairs,  46,  59,  61,74,80, 


ridicule,  199 
Conspiracy,  236,  7,  45 
Constitution  of  the  U.  States,  157,  8 
Convention  with  France,  91 
Conversation,  27 
Copy-rights,  250,  307 
Coral  plants,  308 
Courts,  admiralty,  73;   circuit,   130 

2}  supreme,  150,237 
Criticism,  well  received,  132 
Croix  d'  honeur,  310 


2,  93,  100,  10 
Exchange  of  publications,  263 
Excitement,  political,  less  than  feared, 

146,7 

Excursions,  literary,  167 
Executive  of  United  States,  42,  142, 

275,6 
Expedition  of  Miranda,  136  ;  of  Lewis 

and  Clarke,  282 
[Expenditures,  22 
lExtacies,  57 


338 


INDEX. 


Factions,  253 

Fanaticism,  253 

Fasts,  52,  3 

Fear  of  political  opponents,  216 

Federal  city,  54,  5,  109,  10 

Federalism,  151,68 

Federalists,  54,  73, 9, 105, 25,  89, 251 

311 

Female  Asylum,  objected  to,  211 
Fishes  of  New  York.  300,  1 
Flat-bottom  boats,  177 
Floridas,  cession  of,  151 
Foreign  embassies,  history  of,  172 
Fowling,  68 
Franking  letters,  41 
Fraud, 192 
French  affairs,  23-6,  8,  9,  30,  1,  3,  5 


Holland,  177 

Honors,  24,  110,  221,  83,  93,  300,  5 

Hope,  101,2 

Humorous  fiction,  293 

Ignorance  of  the  people,  58,  9 
Illuminati,  25,  6,  52,  5,  6,  66,  7,  76 

jaugural  discourse  of  J.  Q,.  Adams. 

216 
Indian    department,    110  5    deputies, 

206 

Indians  in  Philadelphia,  37 
Infidelity,  35,  164 
Influenza,  107 
Insolvent  law,  71,  105,6 
Instruction,  manner  of,  20,  1 
Insurrections,   8,   46-8,  52,  6,   8,  9, 


6.  8,  9,  41-4,  8,  50-3,  61,  9,74,  7-9, |     108,  9 

83.  90-4,  100,  2,  3,  5,  6,  8,  10,  1,  3 'Introductions,  148,  257,  60,  85,  92 

5,9,21,33,56-8,70,  1,3,  5,  7,  8,'lnvasion  of  England,  171,7-9,  182,6 


9,  82,  6,  240,  9,  53,  60 
French  decrees,  249 
French  revolution,  23,  5,  65,  79,  90 


Friendly  converse,  118;  admonition 

167  ;  aid,  294,  303,  4 
Friends,  benevolent,  126  ;  separation 

101,46,60 

Friendship,  214,  35-7 
Frigate  Boston,  victorious,  116 
Frigates  captured,  44,  116 
Fugitive  slave,  188 
Fulton's  torpedo,  247 

Gambling,  21 

Genius  not  equal  in  all,  62 

Geography  of  America,  84 ;  of  Morse 

286 

Georgia,  history  of,  289,  90, 1 
Gleaner,  221     " 
Good  name,  18,  9,  146 
Goodness  of  the  heart,  170 
Grammar  of  Murray  indebted  to  thai 

of  Webster,  322-5 
Gratitude  for  prosperity,  219 
Greek  newspapers,  314 
Green  Dragon  house,  105 
Griesbach's  works,  239 
Guinea  ships,  214 
Gun-boats,  177,  9,  207 

Habits,  formation  of.  20,  187 
Hall  of  Representatives  in  Washing- 
ton, 314 
Harrow  School,  255 


Invitations,  178,  215,  300,  28,  9 
Ireland,  rebellions,  174,  5,  82 
Irishmen,  united,  43 

Jacobin,  meaning,  35 

Jacobinism,  151 

Jacobins,  71,  9,  114,  9,  40,  53,  89 

Jesuits,  revival  of,  75,  6 

Jews,  history  of,  254 

Journal,  papers,  etc.  of  Washington, 

89,  108 

Joy's  Buildings,  222,  34 
Judicial,  150,  1,  2,  8,  237,  45,  9,  65, 

88 

Judiciary  act,  142 
July  seventeenth  celebrated,  64 

Land  tax,  35 

Law,  study  and  practice  of,  etc.  70, 

1,  2,  84,  5,  125,  44-6,  50,  2-4,  62 
Lawyer's  experience  as  to  speaking-, 

Leaden  coffins  run  to  bullets,  84 
League  of  European  Powers,  77,  9, 

83,90,  134,5 
Lectures  of  J.  Q,.   Adams,  215;   of 

others,  283,  320-2 
Letters,  one  from  Mrs.  Washington, 

87  ;  of  Austin,  170  ;  from  England, 

224;  from  Europe,  238;  Pomare, 

258;  Benezet,  313 
Lexington,  Ky.,  as  it  was,  311 
Liberty  Tree,  24 
Life  of  Washington,  166,  7,  90,  245 ; 

of  Jackson,  283 


Harvard    College,    professorship    of  Linnaean  Society,  304-7,  11 .  28 


natural  history,  151 ;  political,  160 
Heights  of  Quincy,  60 
Historical  bias,  8 
History  of  Hugh  Peters,  250 ;  of  the 

Revolution,  299 


Literary  Messenger,  215  ;  men  appear 
greater  at  a  distance,  218  ;  institu- 
tion proposed  to  contain  various 
libraries,  305  ;  honors,  300,  5 

Literature,  12,  6,  8,  23-6,  9,  35, 44, 8, 


INDEX. 


339 


52,  3,  6,  7,  62-7,  70-4,  6,  81,  2,  4 
5,  9,  90-3,  6.  100,  2,  4,6,8,  11,  2 
23,  4,  7,  31-3,  5-8, 41 ,  3,  5,  9,  50-4 
9,  61,  2,  4,  6-9,  73,  4,  6,  8,  9,  80-3 
6,8,  190-201,3-51,  4,  7-61,  4-94 
8,  9,  301 ,  2,  4-6,  15-7,  20-6,  9,  30 

Loan  U.S.  43,  4 ;  to  an  individual 
303 

Lock  and  key,  139 

London  views,  217 

Loss  of  relatives,  13,  9,  30,  3.  4,  121, 
93,  202;  of  friends,  236,  8,  93,  302 

Louisiana,  acquisition  of,  144,  85 

Love  of  country,  169 

Lyceum  of  Liverpool,  234 

Mammoth  skeleton,  152 

Manners,  kind,  22 

Marcellus  on  neutrality,  328 

Maritime  decree,  253 

Married  life,  220 

Marshall's  Life  of  Washington,  245 

Maternal  affection,  14,  219;  advice. 

277 
Mausoleum  proposed  for  Washington. 

Medals,    271  ;    one  of   Wellington 

309, 10 
Memoir  of  Talleyrand,  263,  4  ;  of  J. 

Adams,  317-20 

Meridian  of  the  United  States,  286 
Meteors,  235 
Military,  39,  51,  93,  4,  108-10,  29; 

261 

Miniature  painting,  286 
Ministry,  settlement  of,  163-6,  9,  70 
Monarchy,  155-9 
Money,  scarce,  33  ;  paper,  309 
Monument  for   Washington,   86,   93, 

120,  54,  68,  9;  in  Massachusetts. 

289 

Moral  sentiments,  167 
Mount  Vernon,  217 
Mourning  for  Washington,  86-8, 106, 7 

Natural   history,   professorship,   151 ; 

cabinet,  292,  308-12 
Naval  force,  42,  4,51,80 
Neatness,  17 

Neutral  Powers,  77;  rights,  134 
Neutrality  of  ihe  United  States,  111,2 
New  England,  history  of,  197,  8,  233, 

54 

New  scenes,  161 

North  American,  259  ;  Review,  304 
Northern  Kingdom,  252 
Novels,  63,  6,202,21 
Nullification,  103 

Ogilvie's  oration,  249 


Opinion  of  the  world,  18.  9 

Orders  for  books,  224-32,  44,  65-72. 

83-5 

Ostrich  skeleton,  312 
Oxford  Review,  244 

Pamphlets,  collection  of.  179,  82,  8, 

205 

Panoplist,  246 
Parentage,  6,  7 
Parental  happiness,  100 
Parties    suspicious    of   each    other's 

purposes,  240 
Party  bitterness,  100;  40,  220,  52,  6, 

Passage  from  Providence  to  New 
York,  248 

Pennsylvania,  nullification,  103 

Periodicals,  using  each  other's  arti- 
cles, 257 

Persian  Tales,  316 

Piano  forte,  sent  for  to  London,  312 

Pleasure  in  hearing  from  friends,  214 

Poem  on  Boston,  169 

Poetry,  Latin,  238 

Poland,  81 

Political,  19,  23-6,  8.  9,  30-3,  5,  9, 
40-^54-,  60,  5.  9,  72-6,  7-85,  8-96- 
100,  2-7,  9-48.  50-G8,  70-7,  83-6, 
8,  9,  209,  15,  20,  37,  40,  5,  9,  50-6, 
62,74,8,81,94,9,300.  10,  1 

Politics,  nought  more  fallacious,  168 

Popular  favor,  145 

Portfolio,  90,  131,2,49.215,64 

Port  of  New  Orleans,  164,  5 

Portraits,  281  ;  of  J.  Adams,  etc.  316, 
7,  20,  9,  30 

Portugal,  107 

Post  mortem  examination,  293 

Postage  on  newspapers,  307 

Precocity  of  genius,  286,  7 

Prejudices  between  the  Northern  and 
Southern  States,  109 

President's  house  in  Washington, 
115,  9 

Prince  Regent  of  Portugal,  letter  on 
the  birth  of  a  daughter,  107 

Printing,  history  of,  274 

Prisoners,  insurgents,  48 

Private  Secretary  to  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  27 

Promotion,  military,  129 

Propensity  to  write,  152 

Property,  community  of,  40,  51,  6  ; 
of  Washington,  89,  90 

Proposal  for  Campbell,  the  poet,  to 
lecture  in  the  United  States,  320-2 

Prospect  before  us,  106 

Prospectus  for  the  Anthology  Read- 
ing-Room,  213 


340 


INDEX, 


Prosperity,  170 

Public    confidence,    187;    applause 
219;  libraries,  281 

Quaker  meeting,  147,  8 
Question  as  to  Histories  of  New  Eng- 
land, 233 
Quotation  applied,  148 

Reading-Room  at   Brunswick,  259 

in  New  York,  273 
Redwood  Library,  275,  91 
Rees's  Cyclopedia,  protest  against  it 

216,  26,  305,  23 
Regency  in  England,  185,  6 
Religion,  abolition  of,  25:  is  happi- 
ness, 32,  4,  9 
Religious  experience  and  advice,  83  5 

principle  essential  to  merit,  13, 4,  8  ; 

to  support  under  trials,  30,  59,  60 

121-3,  46 
Reminiscences  of  Sir  William  Jones 

and  Dr.  Parr,  1 1 1 
Repertory  of  Arts,  269 
Reply  of  S.  Adams  to  Paine,  164 
Report,  singular,  47 
Republic  of  America,  276 
Residence  of  the  U  S.  President,  53 
Resources  of  United  States,  279 
Revenue  system,  185 
Review  of  studies ,  64  ;  of  Alalthus,  214 
Reviewer,  204,  7.  8 
Reviews,  190,  203,  315;  Edinburgh, 

London,  Quarterly,  Critical,  268,  9 
Reviler  of  Washington,  1 14,  20 
Revolution  in  England,  69 
Revolution,  history  of,  172 
Revolutions  contrasted,  141 
Riot,  139 
Room-mate,  11,  2 
Royal  Institution,  124;  standard,  182: 

Society,  328 
Rule  of  history,  172 
Rush-Light,  104 
Russia,  177 

St.  Paul's,  217,  8 

Salary  of  a  minister,  163 

Salem  protest,  216 

Sardinia,  44 

School-keeping,  20,  2.  32,  40 

Scientific.   12,  41,  6,  124,  51,  204,  35, 

86,7,300,5 
Scriptural  knowledge,  promotion  of. 

Search,  right  of,  73,  4 
Sea  serpent,  328 

Seat  of  government,  temporary,  186 
Secession  from  the  Union,  40,  2,  3. 
88,  103,  51,  251,  2 


Secrecy  of  Congress,  164;   as  to  a 

letter.  185 

Secret  societies,  25,  6 
Secretary  of  War,  111 
Sedition  bill,  141 
Sedition,  trial  for,  33,  88,  9 
Select  speeches,  220,  48 
Self-interest,  49 
Senate  of  Pennsylvania,  attempt  for 

its  abolishment,  91 
Seventy-four  gun-ships,  207 
Shipwrecks,  181 
Sickness  at  the  College,  19;  family. 

etc.,  149,  87,  287,  8 
Signal  lights  for  the  enemy,  301 
Silesian  t<>ur,  136 
Slavery,  70 
Slaves,  freed  by  Washington,  90,  188. 

283 

Slave-trade  of  Liverpool,  161 
Sleighing  in  Philadelphia,  252 
Smoking,  178,  87,  288 
Snow-storm  in  Washingtoa,  248,  9 
Society  in    Washington,    122,  6;   at 

home  and  abroad,  173 
South  America  of  Humboldt,  284 
Spain,  44,  8;  invaded  by  the  French, 

260 

Spanish  affairs,  164,5,211 
Spelling-Book  of  Webster,  325 
Standing  army,  39,  51,  93,  4,  108-10 
State  House,  93 
Statistics  of  Piikin,  305 
Statue  to  Washington,  93,  120 
Stimulus,  powerful,  2fcO 
Struggles  of  adversity,  14 
Student,  duties  of,  12",  6,  7 
Students,  disorderly,  22 
Study,  fondness  for,  9;  hours.  277 
Studies,  186 

Subscriptions  for  Washington's  Mon- 
ument, 168,  9 
Sword-fish,  tail,  310 

Pales  of  the  Castle,  81 

Taxes,  35,  47 

Thankfulness,  9 

Theatre  in  Boston,  etc.  18, 115,39,  82 

Thermometrical  Register,  211 

Toasts  in  a  mammoth  skeleton,  152, 

76,  262 

Toleration,  242 
Tories,  66,  74 
Traveling  companion,  128 
Travels  of  Liancourt,  85 ;  in  North 

America,   119,33;  of  Davis,  247; 

of  Kendall,  285;  in  Italy,  314 
Treason,  237,  45 
Treaty  with  England,  100 
Tree  of  equality,  24 


INDEX. 


341 


Trials,  judicial,  33,  48,  56,  71,  88, 

108,  47,  52,  304 

Trials  of  authors,  191-201,  39,  322-6 
Truth  and  excellence  of  the  Christian 

religion,  254 
Tunisian  embassy,  206 
Tutorship,  304 


Visits,  to  Quincy,  10;  to  Washing- 
ton, 54,  5,  109 :  to  Mount  Vernon, 
60,  87,  97,  9. 

Volunteers,  261 

Voting  in  Boston,  160,  1 


Unitarianism,  277,  312,  3,  5,  6 

United  States  disregarded,  73,  4,  93 ; 
acts  disannulled,  103;    ind 
from  England,  174,  275,  6,  9 

Universal  Magazine,  268 

Usefulness,  10,  3,  99,  172 


Victories,  of  Nelson,  35 ;  of  Truxton, 

Views  of  Religions,  254 

Vindication,  303 

Virginia,  creditors  in  England,  100; 

nullification,  103 
Virtues  of  society,  63,  6 
Vision  of  Columbus,  35 


W,  X,  Y,  Z,  French  writers,  29 
Warlike  concerns,  174,  5-9 
Washington  city,  54,  5,  97, 122,  33 
Watchfulness  against  corruption,  17 
ndemnity  Webster's  Dictionary,  238,  9,  45 
Whigs,  70 
Woman's  man,  41 
Works  of  Kotzebue,  108 
Writing  on  a  subject  makes  it  best 
understood,  136,  7 


Yellow  fever  in  Boston,  etc.  29,  30, 

41,62,7,71,6,8,  153,9,60 
Youthful  modesty,  16 

Zinc,  specimens  of,  310 

Zoological  Museum  in  New  York,  313 


INDEX  OF  NAMES  OF  PERSONS. 


The  remark,  under  Index  of  Subjects,  as  to  tens  or  hundreds,  which  show  the 
pages,  will  be  observed  here. 


Abercrombie,  James,  292 

Adams,  Joseph,  Sen.,  319 

Andrews,  Mr.  and  Mrs., 

Abernethy,  John,  216 

Joseph,  Jr.,  319 

292 

Achilles.  101 

Phineas,  203 

Argyle,  Duke  of,  303 

Adair,  James,  36 

Samuel,  319 

Aristotle,  155 

Adams,  Abigail,  21,  38, 

Samuel,  164,  294-9, 

Armstrong,    John,    120, 

41,  5,'  63,  109;41, 

319,  20 

249,  71 

277 

Thomas  B.,  54,  60, 

Artemisia,  127 

Hannah,    57,     190- 

1,2,4,5,7,71,7, 

Artignenave,  314 

203,  8,  33,  54,  63, 

112,  3,  20,  7,  8, 

Ashe,  Thomas,  257 

333 

35,  6,  9,  44,  6-9, 

Atherton,  A.  W.,302 

Henry,  318 

50,  2,  3,  4,  9 

Austin,  Charles,  220 

John,  318,  9 

Adet,  Mr.,  19,  24 

Mr.,  297 

John,  28,  47,  87,  104, 

^Eneas,  172 

William,  11,35,170, 

12,38,  144,51,3, 

Aiken,  Arthur,  226 

2 

4,74,90,  211,72, 

Family,  218 

Averv,  John,  297 

90,  4,  300,  4,  16, 

John,  225,  6,  9 

7,  20,  8 

Alexander,  Amos,  117 

Bacon,  E,,  263 

John  a,  90,  103,  33, 

Allen,  Paul,  258,  73 

Bailey,  Theodorus,  316 

45,  8,  52,  4,  60, 

Allston,  Washington,  72, 

Baldwin,  Abraham,  35 

4,  83,  6.   8,  205 

4,  88,  102,  7,  70,  8 

Loammi,  245 

10,  5,  6,  36,  47,  8. 
52,  3,  5,  67,  277, 
88,  300,  10,  8 

Ames,  Fisher,  88,  96,  194 
Anaxagoras,  127 
Anderson,  James,  123,  31 

Baltimore,  Lord,  242 
Barbackxy,  68 
Barlow,  Joel,  35,  67 

30 


342 


INDEX. 


Barrett,  B.  P.,  303            Burr.  Aaron.  123,  4.  9. 

Collins,  Isaac,  324 

Barruel,  Augustus,  66 

38,  40,  2,  4,  5,  53,  4, 

Columbus,  103 

Barllett,  Josiah,  41 

236,45 

Combs,  Leslie,  313 

Barton,  Benjamin  S.,  282  Butler,  Richard,  269 

Comer,  Mr.,  313, 

Bayard,  James  A..  109, 

Cook,  Mr  ,  303 

30,237 

Caesar,  92 

Thomas,  3  10 

Bean,  Horatio,  72 

Callender,  James  T.,  106, 

Cooke,  George  F.,  182 

Beaumarchaises,  67 

55 

John,  307 

Belcher,  Joshua,  203 
Belknap,  Jeremy,  249 

John,  196 
Campbell,  Capt.,  313 

Conde,  Prince  of,  177 
Cooper,    Thomas,    108, 

Bell,  Mr.,  226 

G  W.,252 

14,55 

Bellamy,  Mr.,  29 

Thomas,  320-2 

Thomas  A.,  182 

Beloe,  William,  219 

Canning,  George,  76 

Cornwallis,  Lord,  175 

Belsham,    Thomas,    53,  Carpenter,  S.  C.,  304 

Cox,  Tench,  66 

218,312 

Carr,  John,  210 

Crafts,  William,  281 

William,  52 

Carter,  James,  268 

Cranch,  Mary  ,8-1  1,29 

Benezet,  Anthony,  313 

Biddle,  Nicholas,  282 

Castiglioni,  270 
Cato,  155,  69 

William,     13,     150, 
207 

>Bingham,  Maria,  57 

Champlin,     Christopher, 

Crawford,  Col,  171 

Bissett,  Robert,  74,  81, 

109 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  92 

135 

Channing,    Henry,   261. 

Cunningham,      William, 

Blackstone,  Wm.,  70,  2 

301 

Jr.,  272,  90 

Blake,  Francis,  259 

Mrs.,  209 

Currie,  James,  181,205 

Bledsoe,  Mr.,  315 

Walter,  275 

Curtius,  37,  40 

;Blodget,  Samuel,  141,69, 

William  E,  27,31, 

Gushing,  Mr.,  258 

246 

2,  4-7,  9,  40,  3,  4, 

Custis,  Geo.  W.  P.  259 

'Bogert,  John  G.,  308 

7,  9,  51,  4,  7,  9,  62,'Cutler,  James,  139,  83 

Boileau,  Despreaux,  48 

4,5,8,70,8,81,2, 

Bollman,  Mr.,  237 

9,  93,    101,  7,  8,  Dallas,    Alexander,    34, 

•Bonaparte,  23,  8,  31,6, 

160,3,5,7,9            48,151 

92,  100,  2,  6,  8,  13,  9, 

Chapman,  D.  N.,  159;62;Dana,  Richard,  298 

20,33,70,3,7,260,71 

220,  48 

Richard  H.,  164,  70, 

Borilay  de  la  Meuthe,  69 

Chase,  Samuel,  112 

219 

Boswell,  James,  74 

Chatham,  Lord,  248 

Davilla,   Henry  C.,  52, 

Bowditch,  Nathaniel,  286 

Chauncey,  Charles,  121, 

65,78,  104.  12,  4 

Bowen,  John  B.,304 

5,37 

Davis,  John,  '45,  212,  50, 

Boylston,  Peter,  318 

Cheetham,  James,  155 

3,  60,  92 

Susanna,  318 

Cheeves,  Langdon,  281 

John,  247 

Bradford,     Samuel     F., 

Cheniers,  67 

Dean,  Thomas,  168,  204 

305,  23 

Cheverus,  Bishop,  242 

Dearborn,  Henry,  142 

Brazer,  John,  304 

Chenquion,  Mr.,  304 

Decatur,  Stephen,  301 

Brevoort,  H.,  Jr.,  320 

Cicero,  172,  214 

Deiphobus,  172 

Broglis,  Abbe,  75 
Bronson,  Mr.,  138,  251 

Clarke,  Dr.,  122 
Clarke,  William,  282 

Delaplaine,  Joseph,  316 
De  Lille,  Abbe,  175 

Brown,  Erastus,  307,  8 

Clay,  Henry,  294,  310      Demouri'r,  Mr.,  30 

Samuel,  41 

Cieaveland,  Parker,  259 

Dennie,  Joseph,  90,  132, 

Bruix,  Bishop  of,  66 

Clement,  Thomas,  310 

5,7,146,53,4,248,64 

JJuckminster,  Eliza,  149 

Clerc,  Laurent,  309 

Dexter,  Samuel,  46,  76, 

Joseph  S.,  26-8,  72, 

Clerke,  Francis,  265 

85,  6,111 

4,  82,  107,   10,  8, 

Clinton,  George,  144,  54 

Dibdin,  Thomas  F.,  229 

33,49,78,203,14, 

Cobbet,  William,  23,  4, 

Dickens,  Mr.,  177 

'21,  7,  9,  38,239, 

86,  8,  176,  7 

Dickins,  Mr.,  132,5 

41,3.5,6,81,92,3 

Codogan,  Dr.,  287 

Dinsmore,  Silas,  1  10 

Lucy  M.,  149 

Cogswell,  Dr.,  309 

D'lvernois,  26 

'Buffon,  George,  etc.,  37 

Colburn,  Mr.,  287 

Drake,  Nathan,  227 

Bullus,  Dr.,249 

Zerah,286,7 

Duane,  William,  36,  141, 

Burke,  Edmund,  48,  67, 

Cole,  Edward,  J.,  288 

7,  55,  9 

70,4,6,81,4,96,104, 

Coleridge,    Samuel    T.,  Dufief,  Nicholas  G.,  209 

35,248 

44,  176                          IDuhurst,  Mr.,  218 

INDEX. 


343 


Dumanier,  General,  177 
Dundas,  Henry,  52 
Dupont,  Mr.,  26 
Dutton,  Warren,  138 
Dwight,  Edmund,  159 
Jasper,  (fictitious)  37 

Eberhard,  48 
Edwin,  166 

Edwy  and  Elgiva,  145 
Eliot,  John,  22 1,56 
Ellsworth,  Oliver,  45 
Emerson,  William,  159, 

203,4,  11,21,2 
Ennius,  169 
Erskine,  Thomas,  23, 107 

Mr.,  253 

Ervine,  Mr.,  172 
Euripides,  218 
Eustis,  William,  114,20 

60 

Evans,  Thomas,  40,  245 
Ewing,  Samuel,  46, 8, 62, 

78,114,52,279,301 

Farnham,  John  H.,  315 
Farrand,  William  P.; 26 
Fauchet,  Joseph,  may  be 
•    the  same  as  Fouche 

25 

Fenelon,  Francis,  57 
Fenno,  John,  43,  104,  12 
Folsom,  Charles,  311 
John  W.,  194,5 
Forbes,  Mr.,  128 
Fouche,  Joseph,  240 
Fox,  Charles,  26,  36, 107 

35 

Francis,  David,  203,  15 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  24 
Freeman,  James,  194,  8 

222,  3,  95 

French,  Jonathan,  11 
Fries,  Mr.,  48,  56 
Fulton,  Robert,  247 

Gallatin,  Albert,  37,  46 

130 
Gallaudet,  Thomas   H. 

301J 

Gardiner,  John  S.  J.  72 
111,203,4,  13,  8 
38,55 
R.  H.,  249 
Genlis,  Madame,  81 
Gennet,  Mr.,  19 
George,  Lucas,  247 
Gerry,  Elbridge,  29,  45 
50,  105 


Gibbon,  Edward,  38 

ibbs.  George,  282 
Clifford,  John,  23 

William,  127,  35 
Gilbert,  Samuel,  168, 
jiles,  William  B.,  43, 

237,61 

Gill,  Moses,  78,  106 
Gillies,  John,  106,  74 
Gilman,  John  T.,  33 
Godfrey  of  Bouillon,  114 
Godwin,  William,  62,  5, 

70,  3. 176 

jroldsmith,  Oliver,  286 
Goodenow,  S.,  285 
Goodhue,  Jonathan,  308 
Gorham,  John,  293 

rafton,  Duke  of,  239 
jJranger,  Gideon,  160 
3ratlan,  Henry,  106 
Gray,  John,  270 
Sally,  160 
Thomas,  56 
Sreenleaf,  Mr.,  74 
Grenville,  Lord,  91 
Gridley,  Jeremy,  298 
Gnesbach,  John  J.,  239 
Grigsby,  James,  188 
Gnswold,  Roger,  88, 164, 

304 
Grotius,  Hugo,  73 

Hall,  John  E., 264,  5, 313 

Samuel,  183 
Hamilton,  Alexander,  45 
73,  153,  4,  87,  290 

James,  309 
Hancock,  John,  294,  6 

7,  9,  320 

Harbaugh,  Leonard,  111 
Hare,  Charles  W.,  251 

Robert,  279 
Harpe,  De  la,  66,  224 
Harper,   Robert  G.,  37 
88,  161 

William,  150 
Harraden,  Nathaniel,  291 
Harris,  Thaddeus  M.  283 
Hauteval,  Mr.,  29 
Hayden,  Dr.,  314 
Heath,  William,  53,  61 
Hemphill,  Joseph,  152 
Henry,  Patrick,  45 
Heroditus,  219 
Heriot,  Mr.,  176,  7 
Hervey,  Lord,  93 
Heyne,  Christian  G.,218 
Higginson,  Henry,  265 
84 


Higginson,  Stephen,  165, 

221 

Hildreth,  Hosea,  287 
Hobart,  John  H.,  256 
204  Hobbes,  Thomas,  56, 127 
Holley,     Horace,     295, 

315,  6 

Hollingworth,  Levi,  66 
Holmes,  Abiel,  245 
Homer,  66,  218 
Hopkinson,  Mr.,  288 
Houinger,  Mr,  29 
Howell,  Daniel,  273 
Humboldt,      Alexander, 

271,84 

Hume,  David,  52,  145 
Humphrey,  Mr.,  323 
Humphreys,  David,  31 
Hunter,  William,  291 
Hutchinson,Thomas,  295 


lloe,  Robert  T.,  150 

Imlay,  73 

Ingersoll,  Charles  J.,  48, 

132,  6,  45,  53 
Irving,  Washington,  320 

Jackson  James,  283 
Mr.,  25 1,78 
William,  101 

Jay,  John, 129,  32 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  47, 
77,  123,4,5,40,  1,  2, 
4,  6,  7,  160 

Jefferys,  George,  303 

Jeffries,  John,  196 

Joan  d'Arc,  44,  63 

Johnson,  Mr.,  57 

Mr.  and  Mrs.,  60 
Samuel,  74,  226,  9 
Thomas  B.,  60,  85, 

96,  109,  46 
WilliamS,  207 

Jones,  William,  111 

Joy,  John,  222,  34 

Kemble,  Charles,  182 

Go.,  260 

Kendall,  Edward  Augus- 
tus, 249,  75,  85 
Key,  Philip  B.,  113 
Kilwarden,  Lord,  174 
King,  Charles,  255 

Rufus,  91,  136 
Kingston,  Earl  of,  303 
Ktrkland,  Geo.  W.,  129 

John  T.,  27,  8,  129, 


344 


INDEX. 


Kleber,  1.  B.,  106 
Kotzebue,  Augustus,  71, 
82,  108 

Lackington,  Mr.,  283 
Lambert,  William,  286 
Lathrop,  John,  124,  38 

John,  Jr.,  283 
Lawrence,  Dr.,  84 

John,  120 

N.,  257 

Lean,  Charles,  312 
Lee,  Henry,  86,  8 

William,  153 
Leib,  Michael,  151 
Leo  X.,  93 
Lepaux,  Mr.,  26 
Lescallier,  Baron,  316 
Lewis,  Meriwether,  282 

William,  48 
Liancourt,  Duke,  85 
Lincoln,  Levi,  142 
Linn,  John  B.,  104 
Little,  Edward,  257 
Littleton,  George,  248 
Livermore,   Edward   S. 

273 
Livingston,  Edward,  141 

Robert  R.,  176 
Lloyd,  Mr.,  317,20 
Locke,  John,  73,  294 
Logan,  George,  33, 6, 88 
Longfellow,  Stephen,  28 
Lord,  Nathaniel,  299 
Loring  James,  197 

John,  74 
Louis  XVI.,  79,  173 

XVI1L,  173 
Lowell,  John,  168,  222 

38,41,  306 

Lowndes,  William,  310 
Lowth,  Robert,  325 
Lyman,  Mr.,  309 

Theodore,  28,   118 

243 

Lyon,  Matthew,  100,  3 
55,  252 

McCall,  Hugh,  283, 9, 9 
McCormick,  Charles,  96 
McDonald,  72 
McKean,  Joseph,  233 
Thomas,  66,  77,  8 

125,51 

McPherson,  227 
McRea,  Capt.,  313 
Macon,  Nathaniel,  274 
Madison,  James,  J42,  79 
Malcom,  Samuel  B.,  42 


Mallet  du  Pan,   James, 

Paine,  Thomas,  64 

56,96 

Tom.  64,  164 

Malthus,  T.  R.,  214 

Parish,  Elijah,  198 

Vlann,  Herman,  196 

Park,  Mungo,  93,  6 

James,  191 

Parker,  Lieut.,  136 

banning,  William,  197 

Jarr,  Samuel,  111 

Marbury,  William,  150 

Parsons/Theophilus,  222  , 

Marcus,  Nobilior,  169 

3,41 

Marsh,  Joseph,  318 

3asquin,  Antony,  101 

Marshall,  General,  37 

Patroclus,  101 

Humphrey,  62 

Peale,  R.,  152 

John,  29,  166,  90,  245 

Peabody,  Elizabeth,  see 

Martin,  James,  Jr.,  247 

Shaw 

Mathias,  57,  106 

Peck,  William  D.,  205 

Mausolus,  127 

Peddie,  Major,  313 

May,  Joseph,  166 
Mazzei,  Philip,  155 

Pepperell,  William,  174 
Perkins,  B.  D.,  274 

Mercer,  John,  113 

Mr.,  323,  4 

Meredith,  William,  216 

Peter,  the  hermit,  113 

Miller,  Samuel,  256 

Peters,  Hugh,  250 

Milus,  57 

Richard,  Jr.,  58,  113, 

Minot,  George  R.,  88 

36,  54,  70 

Miranda,  Francisco   de, 

Samuel,  250 

136 

Phillips,  Isaac,  74 

Mitchell,  Samuel  L.,300, 

Mr.,  232 

13 

Phocion,  23,  38 

Mitford,  William,  186 

Pickering,  John,  81,260, 

Monroe,  James,  176,  2B3 

75,  329 

Montesquieu,  253 
Moore,  Andrew,  188 

Timothy,     25,     50, 
103,  9 

Morse,  Jedediah,  52,  5, 

Pinckney,     Charles    C., 

108,  98,  233,  86 

124,  5,  53 

Samuel,  F.  B.,  320 

Thomas,  23 

Morton,  Sarah  W.,  63,  6 

William,  253 

Moses,  82 

Pintard,  John,  272 

Munroe,    Edmund,    203, 

Pitkin,  Timothy,  305 

15,54 

Pitt,  William,  46,  55,  135 

Murray,  Judith,  168,  221 

Pizarro,  82 

Lindley,322,  3 

Plato,  155 

William  V.,  45 

Plummer,  William,  263 

Nancrede,  Joseph,  41,  57, 

Plutarch's  maxim,  31 

135 

Pomare,   King  of  Ota- 

Nelson,  Horatio,  35 

heiti,  258 

Newman,  John,  151 

Poniatowski,  81 

Nichols,  Francis,  104,  11 

Pope,  Alexander,  106 

Niles,  Hezekiah,  299 

Mr.,  316 

Porcupine,  Peter,  85,  8 

Oddy,  J.  Jepson,  231 

Person,  Richard,  218 

Ogilvie,  James,  249,  60 
1,73,9,313 

Pratt,  Benjamin,  298 
Preble,  Edward,  161 

Oliver,  Andrew,  254 

Preston,  Thomas,  304 

Otis,    Harrison   G.,   114 

Priestley,  Joseph,  85,92,6 

30,  68,  253-5 

Mr.,  283 

James,  296-9 
Sam'lA.,53,  154,88 
Ouabi,  66 

Prince,  Mr.,  303 
Prince  of  Orange,  174 
Puflendorf,    Samuel   de, 

73 

Paine,  Robert  T  ,  64,  72 

Putnam,  James,  298,  318 

88 

INDEX. 


345 


Quincy,  Josiah,  114.  59 
205,9,34,7,52,9,61, 
74,  286, 94,  304,  27,  33 

Ramsay,  Dennis,  150 
Randolph,  John,  165,252 

R.  K.,  182 

Rawle,  William,  151, 251 
Rawson,  Susannah,  168 
Raynal,  Abbe,  37 
Read,  Ralph,  272 
Reed,  Isaac.  229 
Rees,  Abraham,  218,  26, 

305,  23 

Revere,  Paul,  290 
Reynolds,  Joshua,  286 
Rice,  Mr.,  268 
Rich,  Obadiah,  291 
Rickman.  N.,  308 
Ritchie,  William,  312 
Robertson,  William,  26 

43 

Robinson,  John,  212 
Rogers,  Abner,  47 
Roscoe,     William,     92, 

111,62,81,214 
Ross,  Mr.,  253 
Rousseau,  John  B.,  65 
Rush,  Benjamin,  86,  104 
Russell,    Benjamin,  150, 

John,  53,  76,  104,  5, 

12,  5,  39,  83 
Jonathan,  24,  300 
William,  76 
Rutledge,  Mr.,  143 

Salisbury,  Josiah.  160 

Sargent.  Lucius  M.,238 
Winthrop,  169 

Savage,C.,311 

Sawyer,  Artemas,74,84, 
100,  18,271 

Schiller,  Frederic,  71 

Scollay,  William,  234 
William,  284,  302 

Sedgwick,  Theodore.  47, 

85 
Theodore,  Jr.,  214 

Selfridge,  Thomas  O., 
220 

Senter,  Dr.,  143 

Sewall,  Mr.,  80 

Shakespeare,  William, 
56,  62,  82,  173, 205, 28 

Shaw,    Elizabeth,     who 
subsequently    marr 
the  Rev.  Stephen  Pea- 
body  of  Atkinson, 


59, 

H.,  6,  8-23,  9,  30,  9 

Tappan,  David,  88,  102, 

,61, 

98,  125,  45,  9,  70,  87 

69 

7,33 

219,77,81,7,93 

Telemachus,  127 

Shaw,  John,  6,  11,  13 

Thacher,  Peter  O.,  221,  2 

0 

John,  6,  8 

Samuel  C.,  203,  16, 

,252 

John,  11 

29,  32,  40,  3 

Lemuel,  149 

Thomas,  Isaiah,  274 

,251 

Shays,  Daniel,  8,  155 

Thompson,  Benj.,  Count 

168 

Shenstone,  William,  66 

Rumford,  46,  78, 

Shepherd,  William,  257 

124 

Sheridan,  Kichard,  175 

James.  40 

Sicard,  Abbe,  309 

Thurston,  Buckner,  one 

,26, 

Sieyes,  102 

authority     calls      him 

Sigourney,  Charles,  285 

Thruston,  210 

309 

Tilden,  Joseph,  226,  7 

B6 

Silliman,  Benjamin,  235 

Tilgham,  William,  136 

Sinclair,  John,  131,231 

Tilly,  Count,  57 

Skinner,  William,  225,  8 

Tisdale,  Mr.,  285 

Sloan,  James,  314 

Tooke,  John  H.,218 

2 

Smissart,  G  J.  E.f  263 

Tracy,  Uriah,  246 

26, 

Smith,  Abigail,  318 

Trajan,  95 

Charlotte,  200 

Treuttel,  271 

Robert,  208 

Trowbridge,      Edmund, 

Samuel  H.,  136,  40 

298 

92, 

2,64,211 

Trumbull,  John,  170,286 

Sidney,  72 

Truxton,  Thomas,  44,  72, 

William,?,  318 

102 

55 

William,  83,  105,  7,  9 

Tuckerman,  Joseph,  170 

104 

William  S.,  129 

Tudor,  William,  294 

150, 

William  L.,  38 

William,  Jr.,  302 

Socrates,  128 

Tufts,  Cotton,  138 

4,5, 

Southey,  Robert,  44,  56, 

Tyng,  Dudley  A.,  265 

62,3,77,82,175,214 

0 

Spaulding,  Joshua,  250 
Matthias,  28 

Vanderkemp,  F.  A.,  253 
Judge,  300 

Stark,  John  W.,  306 
Sterne,  Laurence,  65 

Vaughan,  Benjamin,  220, 
31 

0 

Stoddart,  Benjamin,  142 

John,  277 

238 

Stewart,  Mr.,  142 

William,  231 

Stone,  Micah,  12 
Storm,  Garritt,  309 

Virgil,  185 
Voltaire,  M.  Francis  A. 

,84, 

Story,  Joseph,  28,  80,  168 

de,  300 

Strong,  Caleb,  102,  5,  7, 

Vose,  John,  19,  33 

10 

4 

Stuart,  Gilbert,  166,  281, 

Wagner,  J.,  136,  79,  259 

)2 

330 

Wamwright,  Mr.,32,3,6 

,47, 

G.  W.,  314 

Wakefield,  Gilbert,  84 

Sullivan,  James,  254 

Wallich,  N.,  306 

14 

Richard,  18 

Walter,  Arthur  M.,  23-7, 

O., 

William,  144 

9,  30-5,  7,  41-5,  6,  8, 

Sully,  Maximilian,  52 

53,  5,  60.  4,  6,  8,  9, 

Sumner,  Increase,  53,  61 

72,  3,  6,  8,  80,  1,  2,  4, 

William  H.,  128,  59, 

6-8,90,2,5,7,  100,1, 

am, 

250,61,310,  11 

3,5,6,8,10,4,5,8,9, 

5,28 

Swartwout,  237 

21-4,  6,  30,  4,  40,  59, 

who 

60,  1,  3,  7-70,2,3,8, 

ried 

Tabb,  John,  244,  5 

85,  203,  21-3,  35,  6-8 

r'ea- 

Talleyrand,  28,  9 

Washington,      Bushrod, 

,  N- 

Talma,  Francis  J.,  314 

90,  108,  67,  8 

346 


INDEX. 


Washington,  George,  19, 
26,8,37,45.7,60; 
death,  86-90, 3, 8, 
101,6-8,14,20.3, 
7,  31,  54,  66,  90, 
206 
Martha,  60,  87,  9, 

90,9 
Waterhouse,    Benjamin, 

204 

Waterman,  W.,313 
Watson,  Benjamin  M., 88 

Richard,  49 
Wayne,  Caleb   P.,  114 

66,  90,  205 
Webster,  Noah,  96,  238 

45,  74,  322-6 
Weishaupt,  47 
Weld,  Isaac,  119,33 


Welles,  Arnold,  250         (Williams,  Helen  M.,  25 

Samuel,  250,  69  Mr.,  23 

Wellington,  Lord,  309  Samuel,  224,  5,  7,  9, 

Wells,  Benjamin,  142,  4,  32 

59,  60,  79.  81,  261          Windham,  Wm.,  171,  5 
Welsh,  Thomas,  41, 104jWirlz,  Mr  ,  271 
West,  John,  198  Wolf,  Frederic  A.,  218 

White,  Daniel  A.,20,329  Wolstoncrait,  Mary,  64, 


James,  53 

Thomas,  91,  111 
Wieland,  Christopher  M., 

76,  80 

Wilder,  Mr.,  271 
Wiley,  Thomas,  250 
Wilkinson,    James,    74, 

1U29,  245 
Willard,  Joseph,  88 

Sidney,  233 
Williams,  Francis,  225 


71,3 

Wood,  John,  153,  5 
Woodward,  Mr.,  275 
Wythe,  George,  158 
Wyttenbach,  329 

Xenophen,  210 

Yard,  Mrs.,  296 
Young,  Mr.,  116 


CORRECTIONS. 

Page  20,  supply  A.  between  Daniel  and  White  ;  p.  56,  for  du  Paris  read  du  Pan; 
p.  85,  for  Priestly  read  Priestley  ;  p.  142,  for  William  read  Benjamin  Wells  ;  p. 
176,  for  Foutrh  read  Fourth  ;  p.  203,  line  2,  for  yea  read  year  ;  pp.  21)8  and  216,  for 
Ree's  read  Rees's  ;  p.  249,  for  E.  J.  before  Kendall  read  E.  A.  ;  p.  265,  for  Hale 
read  Hall ;  and  p.  275,  for  Augustus  E.  read  Edward  A. 


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